


An Unlikely Connection

by deanieweaniewrites



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Buddy Cop AU, Canon-Typical Violence, Demon Dean Winchester, Denial of Feelings, Detectives, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Frottage, M/M, Power Bottom Castiel (Supernatural), Wing Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:35:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23868367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deanieweaniewrites/pseuds/deanieweaniewrites
Summary: Humans have gone extinct after a war between them and monsters. Society still runs normally, except it's run by the supernatural. Monsters, angels, and demons are all that's left. Dean works as a detective, the only one in the station. He's good at his job, but it's a lot of work to handle, so the station hires a new detective, a rookie named Castiel. He's an angel, so the bickering starts early between the two detectives. When reports of a human come up, the pair are stuck on the case together, and Dean is denying the feelings he has.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 6
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to give a MASSIVE thank you to Alicethrutheburrows for giving me the idea for this fic and letting me write it! I had so much fun with it, and I'm really excited to share it!

An alarm started blaring out its morning call, echoing through the room. A hand slapped the snooze button and a groan came from the lump under the covers. Dean sat up and rubbed his eyes before stretching his arms over his head. The sun was just starting to pour through the gap between the curtains, spilling light all over the bedroom floor. 

In theory, Dean didn’t need sleep. Demons didn’t have that need. But, the world went quiet at night, since other beings still needed those precious eight hours. Dean liked to sleep at night because it was nice. Sleep felt great in the same way that food tasted good. He didn’t need to eat, but the act of it was good for routine, and food was just a nice experience.

Dean started off his morning with a hot shower and a cup of coffee on his porch. He had a few minutes to spend watching the sunrise. He watched his neighbors leave their houses for their day jobs and come out for morning runs. 

Things looked the same as always, but they were so very different. Humans were extinct. Monsters, demons, and angels had been slowly integrating into human society for centuries, and finally, there just weren’t many humans left. 

Once the humans realized what was happening, they revolted. A war started, one the humans could never win. Thousands of monsters died in the process, but inevitably, the humans lost. They died off, leaving the world to the supernatural. 

Nothing changed. Businesses still ran. People worked, took vacations, and had kids. If a human looked at the world like that, they probably wouldn’t even notice a difference.

Dean went back inside to finish getting dressed and ready for work. He loved his job, but the suit he had to wear was a little cumbersome. He’d much rather kick back in a t-shirt and a flannel, but he wouldn’t give up his job for the world. 

He pinned his badge to his jacket and adjusted his tie before leaving the house. Baby was parked in the garage, shining in all her glory. Dean brushed his fingers over the hood before getting into the driver’s seat and pulling out of the driveway to make his commute to work. 

The station wasn’t too far from Dean’s little house, maybe a twenty-minute drive on heavily trafficked mornings. Dean walked in, greeting each of his coworkers as he passed them. There was the Sheriff, Jody, and Sheriff’s Deputy, Donna. Garth was the intern, and Bobby was the crime scene investigator. There were multiple other officers and employees, but Dean wasn’t as close with them. 

Dean was the only detective currently employed by the station, mostly because he was just really good at his job, and there wasn’t much need for anyone else. The office next to Dean sat empty because of this, so he used it for storage. 

Dean’s morning started with looking over his current case files. The list was getting longer and longer by the day. It was one of those times where he wished he wasn’t the only detective. The workload was getting heavier and heavier by the day.

A few hours into looking over files and evidence later, Bobby stuck his head into Dean’s office. 

“Mornin’ Dean.”

“Morning, Bobby. Got somewhere for me to go?”

Bobby nodded. “Yup. How’s that pile of paperwork treating you?”

Dean sighed and set down the file in his hands. “It’s beating me up pretty good, but I’ll handle it.”

“I know you will. C’mon. Let’s get going.” 

Dean got up out of his chair and followed Bobby outside to one of the squad cars. The scene ended up being another murder, much to Dean’s dismay. The number of murder cases was on the rise, and it put a lot of stress on the entire community. 

Dean took one look at the bloody scene and knew they were dealing with a vampire. The poor guy was drained completely. Dean spoke to his wife and found out that they were a family of witches, so it made sense for a vampire to target them, they were practically human.

Bobby took pictures and collected evidence while Dean spoke to all the neighbors, writing down any useful information. 

Once they had all the evidence they needed, they left the scene to be cleaned up and drove back to the station. 

Dean created a new file for the case, sighing in dismay as he added the folder to the pile. He had a few cases to present to the prosecutor, Sam, later. It was nice to work so closely with his brother. 

By the end of the day, Dean was exhausted. He left for the night, bidding everyone goodbye. He knew he was going to have to spend time looking at cases on his computer tonight, but he tried not to think about that as he drove home. 

Dean wasn’t the best chef, but it was a good pastime. He made another attempt at the perfect burger that night. It was close, but not quite there. 

After dinner, he stared at his laptop for a few hours, putting together evidence to build cases for Sam. He managed to make a good-sized dent in his work, so he was satisfied. Hopefully, things would calm down soon and he could catch up. 

The next morning, Dean went about his usual routine. One of his neighbors had gotten a new bike but apparently didn’t know how to ride it, because she fell within the first few seconds of being on it. 

Dean went into work a little more tired than usual. He managed small waves at everyone he passed as he made his way to his office. He was on autopilot all the way up until he saw boxes outside of his office. They were the ones he had put in the spare office months ago. He furrowed his brows and looked around, only to realize that the light in the spare office was on, and someone was in there.

Dean walked down the hall a little further and poked his head into Jody’s office. “Did someone take the extra office?”

Jody smiled warmly. “Yup. The city hired a new detective a week ago and he started today.”

Dean raised a brow. “Why didn’t I know about this?”

“To be fair, I found out yesterday, and you were swamped. I didn’t want to bother you.”

Dean nodded. “Thanks.”

“I’ll leave it up to you two to divide up the workload. He’s brand new, so don’t overwhelm him.”

“Wait, like he’s never done this before?”

Jody nodded. “Yeah. It’s his first day, ever.”

“Oh. Alright. Does he need help?”

“I don’t think so. He’s been fully trained, so he’s ready to work.”

Dean let out a small sigh of relief. “Good. I really don’t need someone to mentor right now. Things are crazy.”

“I know. It’ll be easier now.”

Dean left Jody’s office and walked back to his own. He paused in front of the other door and knocked on it gently. 

“Come in.”

Dean opened the door and saw a man unpacking a box of things on the desk. He was in a similar suit as Dean’s, with the addition of a tan trench coat. Dean took one look at him and knew things were going to be tense. 

The new guy was an angel. Nowadays, angels were the top dogs in society. Most CEOs were angels. They were rich, high-class, and to Dean, stuck up bastards. 

“Are you the other detective working here? I’m Castiel.”

Dean knew he was staring a little, so he cleared his throat. “Yeah, that’s me. I’m Dean.”

Castiel finally met Dean’s eyes and looked a little startled, as most angels would be around a demon. “How long have you been working here?”

“Ten years. I’ve been the only one here for a long time.”

“You must have a lot of work, then.”

“It gets done.” Dean could tell that Castiel was tense around him. So much for getting along with his office neighbor. 

“Well, you’ll have some help now. I may be new at this, but I’ll work to the best of my abilities.” Castiel looked very sure of himself, a naivety that made Dean feel even more off-put. 

“Thanks. Let me grab some files for you.” Dean walked back to his office and started looking through the pile. It wasn’t entirely subconscious that he was picking every case that was even the slightest bit frustrating. Dean brought the files back to Castiel and set them on his desk. “Jody said that you’re fully trained and ready to work, but if you need any help, I’m next door.”

Castiel took the small pile of files. “Thank you.”

Dean retreated to his own office, frustration already bubbling up within him. He had a strong feeling that he wouldn’t get along with Castiel at all. Angels and demons were already so at each other’s throats. To Dean, angels always looked down upon demons like some scum of the earth. It was irritating as hell. Dean knew that Castiel was already looking down on him, so the only answer was to prove himself. 

Dean poured himself into his work for the entire day, refusing to take any breaks. He got more done than he had in days, the only good side to having a new coworker. Dean’s competitive spirit was kicked into top gear, and he wasn’t about to stop for anything. 


	2. Chapter 2

Dean spent a few days mostly ignoring Castiel. He didn’t bother him in his office, and didn’t talk much to him when they went to crime scenes. Castiel seemed pretty self-sufficient, so Dean didn’t even try to mentor him. 

It wasn’t until the following week that anything eventful happened. There was a knock on Dean’s office door, and in walked Castiel.

“Are there any more files?”

Dean furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, do we have any more cases that need work?”

“You...You finished everything I gave you? You solved all of them?”

Castiel nodded. “Jody said all of the files are still ending up with you by default, and to ask you to divert half of them to me.”

Dean tried not to gape at Castiel. He couldn’t believe that Castiel had already sifted through that mountain of work that he gave him only five days ago. “Uh, okay. I have a few more.” He looked through his pile, trying to decide what to give Castiel. He gave up after a few seconds and just split it down the middle. He held the paperwork out. “Here you go.”

Castiel took the stack and held the files under his arm. “Thank you. Could you possibly make sure that half of the files make it to me? I’d hate to have to ask every single time I run out.”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure.”

“Thank you.” Castiel left Dean’s office, coat flowing behind him gracefully. Just the way he moved was starting to irritate Dean. Something about him just made Dean want to punch a wall. 

Dean took a break around the middle of the day to clear his head. He ended up talking to Donna for a few minutes. 

“Must be nice to get some of that work taken off of your hands.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely less stressful. I don’t have to worry about every single case we have and if it’s done.”

Donna smiled. “That new guy, Castiel, he’s really good. He figures stuff out faster than you’d ever believe. It just comes naturally to him, I guess.”

Dean nodded, looking away. “Yeah, he’s fast.”

Donna hummed. “Well, I better get back to work. Talk to you later, Dean.”

“See ya.” Dean walked back to his office and closed the door. He made himself another cup of coffee and sat down to get back to work. 

Later that day, there was another crime scene to look at. Castiel was coming along, as per usual. Dean didn’t talk to him while they were in the car together. When they arrived, Dean made a conscious effort to stay away from him. He interviewed all of the witnesses and a few neighbors as well. There had been a violent domestic dispute between two werewolves, which led to neighbors calling the cops. 

When they got back into the car, Castiel turned to Dean. “Did you get anything interesting?”

Dean was a little taken aback by the sudden conversation. Castiel had never tried to talk about a case like this. “Not really. It’s pretty cut and dry. The husband came home late from work, the wife freaked out at him, they started yelling at each other, the husband clawed the wife up.”

Castiel looked down at his notes. “I’m not so sure. I heard one of the neighbors tell you that the wife came at the husband first. He has a concussion.”

“They were fighting, she probably pushed him into the wall.”

“What if he acted in self-defense? From every interview you got, they said she had a temper. What if she attacked him first?”

Dean sighed. “You’re looking too far into it. Also, why were you listening to all of my interviews?”

Castiel shrugged. “I’m just trying to get all the evidence I can. I just suspect that we’re dealing with an abusive wife and a husband who lashed out in fear of her.”

“If we are, there’s not much we can do unless there’s another incident.”

“We could hear out the husband. If he knew that someone was listening, he might decide to get out of there.”

Dean huffed. “If you’re so concerned, you can do that yourself.”

Castiel crossed his arms. “You know, you could at least try to be nice to me. You’re the only one in that police station who ignores me, which seems wrong. We’re supposed to be working together.”

“I am nice to you.”

“You ignore me every time we go to crime scenes, you don’t send case files to me, you don’t talk to me about your own cases, and you always have a sour look on your face when I’m around.”

“Maybe because you already don’t like me.”

Castiel scoffed. “Who said I didn’t like you? I’ve been nothing but polite this whole time.”

“Oh please, you’re an angel. You think I’m just some stupid demon that was so incompetent at his job that they needed to hire a perfect little angel.” Dean glanced over at Castiel. “Am I wrong?”

Castiel’s jaw dropped slightly. “You are jumping to really far out conclusions about me. I was surprised that you were a demon, yes, but I have no doubt that you’re good at your job. You did it for ten years by yourself before I got here. I’m just here to take some of the load off of you. I would think that you’d be a little more appreciative.”

Dean gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “I’m not going to endlessly praise every little thing you do like everyone else in your life has. I’ll keep it professional in the station. I’ll send you half of the cases to work on, and I’ll keep my trap shut. I don’t want to be friends. We’re coworkers, and that’s as far as it goes.”

Castiel huffed, staring out the window. “I’ve been nothing but professional around you. I’m not changing for you, so don’t expect me to. I’m just going to do my job, and that’s it.”

“Good.” Dean parked in front of the station and got out of the car quickly. As soon as he was back in his office, he groaned. Great job, Dean, fighting with your new coworker.

No matter how much Dean thought about it, Dean couldn’t pinpoint why this guy irked him so much. Was it how he talked? Was it jealousy? Maybe it was. Castiel was fast at his job, better than Dean ever expected him to be. He was brand new, and Dean was a veteran at this. It wasn’t fair that they were already on the same playing field. Maybe this was just Dean’s competitive spirit springing up in a nasty way. 

For the rest of the day, Dean was in a foul mood. He finished all of the work he needed to early, so he left before Castiel without saying goodbye to his other coworkers. He just wanted to be home so that he could sleep away his frustration. 

That night, he got on the phone with Sam.

“Hey, Sammy.”

“Hi, Dean. It’s Sam. What’s up?”

Dean sighed. “Work kind of sucks right now.”

“Why? Didn’t they just hire a new guy? He’s sent me several really good files.”

“Ugh, don’t tell me that.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s mister perfect. He’s an angel. He comes into work every day and solves cases faster than I ever could. He’s annoying to be around, and I can’t stand him.”

“Wow. You really don’t like this guy, huh? That sucks. I was hoping you guys would get along. Things would go faster if you two worked together.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening. I can’t.”

Sam hummed. “Well, maybe that will change one day.”

“Maybe.” Dean tapped his fingers against the table. “How’s Jess?”

“Good. We repainted the living room this week. She said the color was too dark. It’s brighter and a little cozier now. I like it.”

“That’s nice. You sound like the perfect little domestic couple.” Dean teased. 

“Yeah, I guess we are. Never thought that would happen, but here we are.”

Dean sighed. “Any other life updates? I need entertainment.”

Sam chuckled. “Not really. I have a big court date tomorrow. I’m presenting the murder case that Castiel worked on.”

“Of course you are.”

“Hey, I think you should try to mend whatever this thing is. You’re making yourself miserable over this guy. Just try to patch things up and at least be on good terms.”

“It’s fine. We both agreed to be professional.”

“Oh my god, you didn’t fight with him, did you?”

“We had a pretty good argument in the car today.”

“Dean, you need to fix this. You can’t keep working next to a guy that you hate. You’re going to start hating your job. I’d hate that for you.”

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I am right. Apologize tomorrow. I don’t want to hear about you two fighting again.”

“Okay, mom.”

Even though Dean couldn’t see him, he knew Sam rolled his eyes. “I’m going to get back to my case. I need to make sure it’s perfect for tomorrow.”

“Alright. Talk to you later, Sam. Bye.”

“Bye, Dean.”

Dean went to bed that night and couldn’t sleep for a long time. He stared at the ceiling, considering what Sam had said. Maybe things would be better if he patched up the break between him and Castiel. It seemed impossible. How was he supposed to work well with someone that drove him crazy? Dean fell asleep several hours later than usual, curled up in bed around a pillow.

Dean went into work the next morning with his head a little lower than usual. He knew what he had to do, and it was going to suck. 

Before Dean could go to Castiel’s office, Jody stopped him in the hall. 

“Dean, we have something big.”

“What is it?”

Jody led Dean back to her office. “Someone spotted a human last night. A teenage boy. He was out with a group of vampires. We don’t know where he is now.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “Are we sure it was a human?”

“According to eyewitnesses, he wasn’t anything they could pinpoint, and he smelled human. I’m putting both you and Castiel on this one.”

Dean would have groaned if he was alone. “Alright, I’ll go talk to him.”

“Here’s what we have so far. We have to find this guy and figure out where he came from.”

Dean nodded and took the file. “Yeah, definitely.” He walked back to Castiel’s office and sighed before knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

Dean walked into the office. “We have a big case. Someone spotted a human.”

Castiel’s eyes widened and he stood up. He took the file from Dean when it was offered to him. 

“Jody put both of us on the case.”

“It’s okay, I’ve got this one.”

Dean shook his head. “Doesn’t work like that. We’re both on it. This is too big for just one of us.”

Castiel raised a brow. “Since when do you want to work with me?”

Dean sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I’ve been a jackass. I don’t know what else to say.”   
  


Castiel searched Dean’s face for a moment. “Apology accepted. Thank you. Now, what other leads do we have? Is this it?”

Dean nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s it. I don’t think there’s anything else.”

Castiel handed the file back to Dean. “We should go check out where he was spotted, ask the witnesses about everything.”

Dean nodded. For once, he agreed with Castiel. “Let’s go then.”

They took one of the squad cars out to a run down gas station, parking in the lot and getting out of the car. Castiel was already scrutinizing the area, looking for any sort of clue. 

Dean walked into the gas station to talk to the clerk, a werewolf. Fortunately, he was the same one from last night. 

“What did you see?”

“A group of vamps came up in a big truck. They all came inside, including the human. I could smell him, I knew he was human. I was going to say something, but I know those vamps, and they’re dangerous. I called the station because I didn’t know what else to do.”

Dean gathered some names from the clerk and thanked him for his time. When Dean returned outside, he saw Castiel still looking around. “You going to go talk to the guy in the restaurant attached to this place? They may have seen something too.”

“Oh, you can do that.”

“Come on, we’re working together. You can have an equal part in this.”

Castiel looked down sheepishly. “I’m...not very good with people. I don’t even know what to say, especially when they’re upset. I don’t know how to interview, and that’s why I always listen in on yours.”

Dean blinked in surprise, staring at Castiel. Little mister perfect had a flaw. “Alright. You can still come with me. Maybe if you watch me you’ll get the hang of it, yeah?”

Castiel shrugged. “I don’t know, but I can try.” He followed Dean into the restaurant. 

Dean walked in and began his interview process. He always tried to be friendly, it made for better answers. People liked to speak to a friend rather than a scary detective. The restaurant owner got one of the employees out of the back to come and talk to Dean and Castiel. The guy said he saw them outside, being very protective over the youngest one, which they could only assume was the human.

Dean thanked the employees for their time and walked outside with Castiel. “So, what are you thinking?”

“I don’t know. I’m worried the vampires are keeping him for blood. It’s been years since they’ve had human blood, I’m sure one would be invaluable to them. Did anyone see marks on the boy?”

Dean shook his head. “Gas station employee didn’t say anything about marks or cuts. But, I did get the names of some of the vampires. Let’s go back to the station and run the names, see what we can find.”

Castiel nodded, following Dean into the car. The drive back was quiet, and there was a new sense of respect between the two of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Back at the station, Castiel followed Dean into his office to look at what results the names brought up. Luckily for them, the first name brought up an address that included several other names that they had received. 

“I think we’ve got our place.”

Castiel looked at the address anxiously. “I really hope that boy is okay. He sounded very young from the description we got.”

Dean looked up at Castiel. It was very angelic of him to be sympathetic towards a human. ‘Yeah...Let’s give this to Jody so they can send some officers out there.”

“Are you not worried?”

Dean shrugged. “I never had the best relationship with humans.”

“Oh. I guess you wouldn’t. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one. I was a guardian angel before the humans went extinct, so it’s only instinct at this point.”

“Huh. Thats pretty cool. How long did you do that?”

“Almost seven hundred years.”

Dean’s eyes widened a bit. “Wow. You’re older than I thought you were.”

“I can’t be that much older than you.”

Dean shrugged. “I’m three hundred and thirty one.”

“Oh, I guess I am a lot older than you.” Castiel sighed. “I hope they find him.”

Dean nodded. “I’ll give the address to Jody.” He scribbled it down on a piece of paper and took it to Jody’s office. 

The rest of the day, Dean anxiously worried about what was going to happen. What if this was a sign that humans were coming back? It had been fifty years since anyone had seen one. What if a colony of them had hidden away from society up until now? There was no telling.

Just before Dean was about to go home, the squad cars returned. Dean walked outside to see if they found anything, and sure enough, they did. One of the officers got a teenage boy out of the back of his car, and he was human. Dean felt his stomach turn a little, and he retreated back inside. 

That night, Dean really couldn’t sleep. Humans were back. Even if it was just one, it was one too many in Dean’s eyes. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could still see his mother crying out before succumbing to the demon blade that was driven into her heart by none other than a human. Dean let out a shaky breath and dragged his hands over his face. 

The next day, the station was buzzing with activity. Dean went straight to Jody to get information.

“It was crazy. The vampires are claiming that they have no idea where he came from. They scooped him up to use for blood, but they weren’t going to kill him. He would have been their blood bank for as long as he lived. The craziest part? He has no idea where he came from. He can’t remember anything further back than a week ago.”

“Oh my god, so he has no idea who his parents are or anything?”

Jody shook her head. “Nope. We kept him here overnight. He's still in a holding cell. He remembers his own name, Jack, so that’s what we’re calling him.”

Dean nodded. “Damn. So, what now?”

“We’re going to assign someone to house him until we can figure something else out. We don’t want this getting out to the general public. It’ll cause a panic.”

“Yeah, I’m already panicking a little. I can’t believe we found an actual human.”

Jody sighed. “Crazy world we live in.”

“Would it be weird if I went to see him?”

“Not at all. He’d probably appreciate the company. Holding cell five.”

“Thanks.” Dean navigated the halls of the station until he made it to the holding cells. What he saw in front of cell five startled him to say the least.

Castiel was sitting on the floor in front of the cell, talking quietly with whoever was in it. When he noticed Dean, he stood up. “Hello, Dean. Did you come to meet Jack?”

Dean nodded. “Uh, yeah.” He walked up to the cell and looked inside. Sitting on the floor was a boy who looked no older than twenty. He was chewing on a candy bar, a Three Musketeers from what Dean could tell. 

“Who are you?” The boy asked.

“I’m Dean, I’m one of the detectives here.”

“Oh, like Castiel?”

“Yeah, we work together.”

Jack nodded. “When do I get to leave?”

Dean looked at Castiel, then back at Jack. “I...I’m not sure. Someone’s going to take you home at some point.”

Jack nodded. “Castiel said he’d take me.”

Dean raised a brow. 

“I was a guardian angel before all of this. Humans are my specialty.”

Dean nodded. “I guess that makes sense.” He looked back at Jack. “Good talking to you.” He walked back to his office, his head spinning slightly. 

He couldn't believe it. That was really a human, right there in the station. The thought made him uneasy. At least the kid was in a cell. Dean shuddered a bit at the thought of him leaving that cell soon. Who knew what kind of trouble he’d get into? Hopefully, since he didn’t have any memories, he wouldn't have any kind of hatred towards monsters like other humans did. 

Dean tried to focus on his work, but it was getting increasingly difficult. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, trying to shake out the thoughts of the human. He needed to focus. There were other files and cases that needed his attention. 

In the middle of the afternoon, Dean got an email from Jody. There was a station-wide meeting in thirty minutes. Dean knew it was to discuss who would be housing the human. He hoped that it was Castiel. He seemed like the obvious choice. How much better could you get than a former guardian angel?

Dean walked out to the lobby when it was time for the meeting, his hands in his coat pockets. 

Jody walked out and smiled at everyone. “Thank you all for coming. I’m sure you know why you’re all here. We need someone to take in Jack until we find a permanent spot for him.”

Castiel shifted anxiously from where he was standing, a little to Dean’s right. 

Jody folded her arms. “I thought for a long time about who it should be, and I feel like there’s only one right answer. We need someone we can trust, so, Dean? Would you take him in?”

Dean’s eyes widened a bit and he stood up straight. He stared for a moment. “Why me?”

“You’ve been around here for a long time. I trust you to take good care of Jack for a little while. Can you do that?” Jody had her signature mom-look on, and it made Dean cave. 

“Yeah, I can do that.”

Castiel frowned, looking at Dean, then back at Jody. He looked visibly anxious as he returned to his office. 

Dean knew Castiel had to be upset. The guy seemed like he really cared about what happened to the human, so it almost didn’t seem fair. Dean sat back down in his office chair, and his nerves were fried. How the hell was he supposed to look after this kid? He was basically a small child with no memories, and Dean was a demon. Demons weren’t very well known for their paternal instincts. 

A few minutes after the meeting, Jody brought Jack to Dean’s office. “Is it okay if he stays in here instead of a cell?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He gestured to the chair in the corner. 

Jack walked over to the chair and sat down, looking around Dean’s office curiously. 

“Thank you, Dean.” Jody smiled. 

“No problem.” Dean smiled back half-heartedly. 

When the office door closed, Dean felt even more on edge. He looked over at Jack, who was staring directly at him. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Jack averted his eyes nervously. “I thought Castiel was supposed to take me.”

“Well, the station decided otherwise. It shouldn't be for very long. They’ll find a better place for you than with me.”

Jack nodded. “Is Castiel still here?”

Dean nodded. “Do you want to go sit with him instead? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

Jack nodded quickly.

Dean stood up and led Jack to the next door, knocking before entering. “Hey, can the human sit in here with you?”

Castiel looked up and nodded eagerly. “Of course. You can sit right there, Jack.”

Dean left the office once Jack was sitting, returning to his own space, which felt much better without another presence. He would have felt bad about dumping Jack on Castiel, but the angel seemed to want this. 

Dean saw the time and realized it was time to go home. He found Castiel and Jack in the hallways, still talking quietly. Castiel looked over at Dean. 

“I have a question.”

“Alright. What is it?”

“Is it okay if I visit Jack every once in a while? It’s not safe to transport him back and forth, so I can just come to you. Is that okay?”

Dean thought for a moment. It was already weird having a human in his house, now an angel? But, Jack looked pretty freaked out unless he was with Castiel. “Uh, sure.” Dean pulled out his phone. “What’s your number? I’ll send you my address.”

Castiel let out a small sigh of relief and gave Dean his phone number. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Dean pocketed his phone once his address was sent. He looked at Jack. “Ready?”

Jack nodded sheepishly. He followed Dean like a lost puppy all the way to the impala. Dean moved him quickly to avoid anyone around the station realizing that there was a human. 

Dean felt kind of bad that Jack was scared of him. As much as being around him made him uneasy, he was still a kid. During the drive home, Dean tried to talk to him. “So, what do you remember?”

“I woke up, and I was in the woods. I started walking around, and then these people found me. They grabbed me and told me to come with them, so I did. They put me in their car and we drove around several different places. They kept talking about my blood. Then we got to this big house. They locked me up in a room, and the next day, the police took me out of there and put me in the cell.”

“Was it scary?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, it was. I didn't know where I was going. I still don’t really know where I am.”

“Well, you're in my car, almost at my house. Castiel will come visit when he can, and we’ll find a safer spot for you soon.” Dean parked in the driveway and got out of his car. “Quickly, before my neighbors see.”

Jack ran behind Dean into the house, looking around once the door was closed. 

Dean led Jack to the guest bedroom that he usually reserved for Sam. “You’ll be staying in here. Make yourself at home, I guess.”

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed. “This is a lot nicer than the cell.”

“Sure is.” Dean paused. “Are you hungry?”

Jack nodded quickly. 

“Uh, do you like pasta? I was making some with chicken tonight.”

“Okay.”

Dean nodded and left the bedroom, walking into the kitchen with a sigh. He felt very bad at this. Jack seemed so scared of him, and it was awkward as hell. At least cooking gave him some peace. 

The peace didn’t last very long for Dean. He heard a knock on his front door and took his pan off the heat while he went to answer it. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see Castiel. 

“I didn’t know you were coming tonight.” 

Castiel sighed. “I just wanted to make sure Jack was alright.”

Dean nodded and opened the door. “He’s in the spare bedroom, just back there. I’m making dinner for him now.”

“Oh, good. I was going to ask if you were feeding him.”

“Dude, I know that humans need food.”

Castiel shrugged and walked back to the spare bedroom. 

Dean scoffed a bit. Just when he thought he could patch things up with Castiel, the angel was being condescending. He finished the chicken and added it to the pasta he had ready on the side. He made two plates and set them on the table. 

Castiel emerged from the bedroom with Jack to check on the food. “Make sure you eat everything. You’ve mostly eaten candy today.”

Jack sat down at the table and nodded. He waited for Dean to sit down as well before he started eating. 

Dean tried to ignore how weird all of this felt. He couldn’t believe that there was an angel and a human in his house right now. Just the thought was enough to unnerve him, but living it was a whole other story. 

Castiel sat down in one of the other chairs. “You eat?”

Dean nodded. “I like cooking. It's a nice routine to keep up.”

Castiel nodded a bit. “Seems like a lot of work to me, for something that we don’t need.”

Dean huffed a breath through his nose. “You can quit being judgemental for now, thanks.”

“I’m sorry if I’m having trouble trusting a demon with a human. In my experience, this is a very bad combination.”

Dean dropped his fork. “I knew it, you do hate me for what I am! In my experience, angels are dicks with wings. I’ve never met an angel that wasn’t stuck up.”

Castiel clenched his jaw. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

Dean glared. “Look, I’ll tolerate you coming over to hang out with the human-”

“His name is Jack.”

“Whatever. Let me finish. I’ll tolerate this for now, and I’ll be professional at work. We’re stuck together, whether we like it or not. I’m not going to let you screw up my job.”

Castiel crossed his arms. “As if I’m the one screwing you up. If something happens, I’m going to be the one who’s out of there. They all love you, hence why you’ve ended up with Jack. I worked hard to find a profession that suited me once I was out of my old job. I’ve finally found something that I enjoy, and here you are trying to make my life miserable. You think I don’t notice that you give me every difficult case?”

“You solve them so damn fast, so why does it matter?”

“It matters because you don’t respect me.”

Dean shook his head. He glanced across the table at Jack, who was staring at them with wide eyes. “Great, look at us, fighting in front of the kid.”

Castiel looked at Jack, and his face softened. “You should finish eating. We can talk more after dinner.”

Jack nodded and started eating again. 

Dean watched Jack eat for a few minutes before speaking again. “Do you really not remember anything before last week? You seem to know how to do things.”

Jack looked at Dean and nodded. “I don’t know how I know what to do. I know what things are, but I don’t know where I came from.”

Dean leaned forwards a bit. “You sure?”

Jack glanced at Castiel nervously. “I’m sure.”

Castiel frowned. “Don’t interrogate him.”

Dean looked at Castiel. “Can’t angels do that memory thing? Where you look through someone’s thoughts? Have you tried that on him?”

Castiel shook his head. “I haven’t, but I can. That’s not a bad idea.” He stood up and walked behind Jack’s chair.

“Will it hurt?” Jack looked up at Castiel.

“No, not at all. Just relax.” Castiel placed his hands on the sides of Jack’s head and closed his eyes, his brows knit together in concentration. His eyes opened and pale blue light shone through them. His hands glowed softly as well.

Dean instinctively shielded his eyes, then saw that it wasn’t hurting him. He watched closely. 

Castiel frowned a bit. “He’s not lying. The memories stop almost exactly a week ago...Someone erased his memories. I can feel it, there’s a gaping hole where they used to be.”

Dean’s eyes widened slightly. “Why would someone do that? What can do that? Djinn?”

“No, there would be memories from the Djinn dream if so. An angel did this.”

“Can you reverse it?”

Castiel shook his head. “I don’t think I can.”

Dean raised a brow. “Have you been able to before?”

“Yes, I usually can get back bits and pieces at the least, but everything is just...gone. Someone very powerful did this.” He closed his eyes again, like he was searching. Suddenly, his eyes shot open again, glowing bright yellow. Castiel’s jaw dropped and he let go of Jack’s head, backing away from him. 

Dean stood up. “What the hell was that?”

Castiel took a deep breath before he started mumbling. “Nephilim...”

“Bless you.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “I said, Nephilim. I think a Nephilim erased his memories. I have no idea how one is walking around without every angel knowing about it.”

Jack looked back at Castiel. “What’s a Nephilim?”

“Half angel, half human. If there’s a Nephilim out there, chances are, you’re not the only human wandering around.”

Dean ran his hands through his hair. “Holy shit. What do we do?”

Castiel looked at Jack. “We keep Jack hidden. Nephilims are extremely dangerous. And, we find it. We have to kill it, wherever it is. We should also try to find out if there are more humans, so we can keep them safe. If there’s enough of them, we could end up bringing them back.”

Dean scowled. “Why would we want to bring back humans?”

Castiel frowned. “Humans were supposed to be the dominant species on Earth. That will probably never happen again, but we shouldn’t force them into extinction. Humans are amazing. They gave so much to this world.”

Dean shook his head. “Humans were vermin. They destroyed most of nature, killed anything that was different from them, and I’ve only met one that wasn’t a hateful bastard.” He glanced at Jack.

Castiel huffed. “That’s your perspective. Heaven treasured humans. They had their flaws, and that’s what we loved about them.”

Dean shrugged. “Whatever.” He picked up the two dirty plates. “So, now we have to find this Nephilim? Where do we even start?”

Castiel sat back down in his chair. “Well, we can start at the woods Jack was found in. It was in Colorado.”

“That’s very much out of our jurisdiction.”

“So we tell another station that there’s a human and a Nephilim on the loose? I thought we were trying to keep this from getting out.”

Dean sighed. “This isn’t a conversation to have with me. It’s not my call. Talk to Jody tomorrow and see what she says.”

Castiel nodded. “Alright. I will.”

Dean finished the dishes and looked at Jack. “Hold on, let me go grab some t-shirts and pajama pants for you to wear.” He walked upstairs to his room and dug through his drawers. He had some soft, flannel pajama pants and a few old t-shirts to lend to Jack. When he returned, Castiel and Jack were in the guest bedroom. 

“Thanks.” Jack took the clothes and held them in his lap. 

Dean nodded. “No problem. I’m gonna head upstairs to bed. If you need anything, I’m in the room at the end of the hall.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Castiel chimed in. “I won’t be here too much longer.”

Dean nodded. “Lock the door with the spare key when you leave. It’s underneath the chair.”

“I will.”

Dean gave an awkward wave before proceeding upstairs to his room. He took a long, hot shower before getting into bed. He spent some time on his phone before letting himself fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean’s alarm blared through the room early the next morning. He got up and rubbed his face before rolling out of bed. He opted to get dressed before going downstairs today, since Jack was here. He still felt weird, knowing that he wasn’t alone in his house. 

Once he was dressed, he walked down the stairs and rounded the corner into the kitchen. He just about jumped out of his skin when he saw Castiel standing in there. 

“Jesus fucking Christ! What time did you get here?!”

Castiel looked away guiltily. “I...didn’t leave. Your house isn’t warded against anything, and I didn’t want to leave Jack alone. Your house is warded against angels now, which should provide some level of protection.”

“How are you in here, then?”

“I used my own grace for the ward, so I can still come in and out.”

Dean nodded. “Okay.” He took a deep breath.

“You’re not mad?”

“I’m annoyed, but I’m not mad. Would have been nice to know that you were spending the night.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Castiel looked at the fridge. “Are you going to make breakfast? Jack will be hungry. You should leave lunch for him too.”

Dean opened the fridge. “I’ll make breakfast, but I was just gonna give him free reign of the kitchen for lunch. There’s food here.”

“Okay, just making sure.”

“I know how humans work, Cas.”

“I know, I’m just protective over him, is all.”

Dean started working on some eggs and bacon. “I’m well aware of that.” He hummed. “Is he up yet?”

“No, he didn’t sleep very well last night. I watched him. He kept having nightmares. He couldn’t figure out what they were about, but they still scared him. I watched him all night.”

“That’s a little creepy.”

Castiel leaned against the counter. “Wouldn’t it be nice if you had someone watching over your sleep? Protecting you?”

“No, because that’s weird.” 

“If you were human, you might want one.”

Dean shook his head. “If I were human, I’d just have a gun under my pillow. That’s all the protection I’d need.”

Castiel sighed. “If we do end up looking for this Nephilim, you have to promise not to be an ass the whole time.”

“What are you talking about? I’m a joy to be around.” Dean grinned. “Don’t you think?”

“Hilarious. I’m being serious.”

“Fine, I’ll try to keep the assery on the downlow.”

Jack emerged from the back bedroom with his arms wrapped around himself. “Is there food?”

Dean looked back at him. “There will be in a minute. Go ahead and sit.”

Jack sat down at the table in the same seat as before. He looked tired and a little cold.

Dean brought over two plates of eggs and bacon, setting them down before sitting. 

Castiel looked at Jack, and then at Dean’s thermostat. “It’s cold in here. Can I make it warmer?”

Dean looked at Castiel. “Uh, sure?” He started eating with a hum. 

Jack smiled appreciatively at Castiel, then picked up his fork to start eating. “Am I coming to work with you?”

Dean shook his head. “It’s not safe to move you around, so you’ll stay here.”

Castiel nodded. “I’ll close all of the blinds. Stay downstairs and away from windows. Don’t go outside, don’t answer the door.” He looked at Dean. “Do you know what your neighbors are?”

Dean thought for a moment. “Mostly werewolves and demons. There’s one angel who lives by himself across the street. He’s a dick. He stole a package off my porch once and never did it again only because I told him I worked at the police station.”

Castiel nodded. “Okay. Does anyone come over here? Would anyone try to come into your house?”

“It’s a safe neighborhood. I don’t think anyone saw me bring him inside, so they don’t know that he’s here.”

“Good.” Castiel walked around the house, closing every set of blinds and all the curtains. 

Dean finished his breakfast and stood up. “You know how to work a TV?”

Jack nodded. “I think so.”

Dean nodded. “Use the grey remote. Also, you have free reign over the kitchen. If you get hungry, eat something. I’ll go grocery shopping this weekend if you need me to.”

“Thanks.” Jack finished his own breakfast and carried his plate to the sink, handing it to Dean. 

Dean washed the dishes and stuck them in the dishwasher before grabbing his work bag. “Alright, I’m heading to work. Follow Cas’s advice. Don’t go outside. My neighbors are nice and all, but they’d probably sink their teeth into you and Jody would kill me if that happened.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll stay in.”

Castiel followed Dean to the front door. “Bye, Jack.”

“Bye, Castiel.”

Dean left the house and locked the door behind both of them. As he walked out into the garage, one of his neighbors stopped in front of his house, on a morning jog.

“Morning, Dean. Heading to work?”

Dean nodded. “Yup.”

“Is that who I saw you walking in with last night?” The guy gestured to Castiel.

“Uh, yeah. It is. We work together.”

“Ah, okay. Hope you had a good time.” He winked before jogging away.

Dean groaned. “Great, now my neighbor thinks we’re fucking.”

Castiel shrugged. “At least he isn’t suspicious.”

Dean nodded and finally got a look at the other car in his driveway. “Oh my god, is that your car?”

“Yes. What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s a pimp car.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “I got it for a great price, and it works just fine.” He walked out of the garage and got into his car.

Dean got into Baby, double checking that the garage was closed as he drove away. Part of him was nervous about leaving Jack alone in his house all day, but the kid seemed nervous and relatively harmless. 

Castiel and Dean arrived at the station at the same time, walking inside together. Castiel went straight back to Jody’s office, and Dean went to his own. 

As Dean looked over his current cases, he realized that things were a little slow right now. A lot of cases were either thrown out from too little evidence, or had already gone to court. Now would be a good time to go looking for the Nephilim, if that’s what they ended up doing. There were a few things that would have to be settled. Jack would have to stay somewhere else if Dean left. Jody could probably take him. She already had two adopted daughters.

A few minutes passed before Castiel was entering Dean’s office. 

“Jody put us on the case. We’re hunting a Nephilim.”

Dean nodded. “What about Jack? We may be gone for a while.”

“Jody said she’d take him while we were gone, but she couldn’t keep him there long-term. She said she had enough on her hands with her daughters.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to throw basically a third kid on her. So, when do we leave?”

“Tomorrow. Use today to get everything you can settled.”

Dean nodded. “Will do. Also, we’re taking my car.”

“Why would we drive? I have wings. I can get us there in a matter of seconds.”

Dean blinked. “Right, forgot about that. Yeah, let’s do that.”

Castiel left Dean’s office to return to his own.

For the rest of the day, Dean did the best he could to get ahead on his work. It wasn’t too hard, fortunately. A lot of the cases ended up being duds. 

Dean drove back to his house and had to remind himself that someone else was there. He walked inside through the garage and locked the door behind himself. He came into the living room and found Jack on the couch, watching TV. 

“What’s for dinner?” Jack sat up as soon as he saw Dean.

“Not sure yet. Anything you don’t like?”

“I...I’m not sure.”

“How do you feel about tacos?”

“Okay.”

Dean nodded and went upstairs to change into some more comfortable clothes before he started cooking. When he came back downstairs, he nearly had a heart attack. Castiel was on the sofa with Jack.

“How did you get in?”

“Oh, I flew. Warmup for tomorrow.”

Dean nodded slowly. “Wait, why do you even have a car if you can practically teleport?”

“Because wing maintenance is exhausting. If I had to fly to work every day, I’d have to spend half an hour every night grooming them. It’s a pain.”

Dean retreated into the kitchen to start cooking. What had his life become? It used to be so simple. As he was working, his phone rang. Sure enough, it was Sam.

“Hey, Sam.”

“Hi. How are you?”

“I’m alright. Just making some tacos for dinner.”

“You’re still cooking every night?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, keeps me busy. I like food.”

“Alright. Whatever floats your boat. How are things at work?”

“Good, not too busy.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard. I’ve heard that you guys have a big case you’re working on.”

“Uh, not really. I have an investigation tomorrow, but nothing special.” Dean didn’t really like lying to Sam. He used to do it a lot in the past, especially when they lived together in the car, but nowadays, it just felt wrong.

“Ah. Alright...Is your TV on?”

Dean heard Castiel and Jack talking in the living room. “Yup.”

“Okay.”

“Dean? When is the food going to be ready?” Castiel called from the living room.

“Okay, who’s in your house? Are you making dinner for a hookup?”

Dean huffed and pulled the phone away from his ear. “Five minutes.” He put it back to his ear. “No. It’s just a coworker.”

“It’s not the new guy, is it?” Sam had a smug sound to his voice.

Dean sighed. “It is. We patched things up.”

“Oh, good. Why is an angel eating?”

“He likes food too.”

“I see.” Sam paused. “Why is he in your house?”

“I invited him over to patch things up over dinner.” Dean started plating the food. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing much. Cases are slow. I have a court date tomorrow that should be pretty easy.”

“That’s something. Alright, I’m gonna let you go.”

“Alright. Talk to you later?”

“Sure. Bye, Sam.”

“Bye, Dean.”

Dean hung up and carried the plates to the table. He made three tacos for each of them with a side of chips and homemade salsa. 

Castiel led Jack to the kitchen. “Who was that on the phone?”

“My brother, Sam.”

“Sam, as in one of the prosecutors?”

“Yup.”

Castiel nodded. “Oh. I knew you two were probably related, but I didn’t know it was that close. Does he know about what’s going on?”

“No, not at all. I’m trying to keep it that way.”

“Good plan.”

Dean sat down and started eating. Jack was a little slower to start, but soon enough he was chowing down. “What did you eat for lunch?”

Jack looked at Dean. “I made peanut butter and jelly.”

“Alright.” He continued eating in silence for a few minutes before looking at Castiel. “Are you going to spend the night again?”

“No, I need to shower and change clothes. I’ll go home tonight.”

Dean nodded. “Cool.”

Once Jack and Dean had finished eating, Dean washed the dishes and retreated upstairs to shower. When he was done, he walked back downstairs to check on Jack and Castiel, and to make sure that Castiel left. He didn’t have much of an issue with Castiel staying, but two nights in a row was a little much for Dean. 

Once it started getting late, Castiel made sure Jack was in bed before literally vanishing from Dean’s living room with the sound of fluttering wings.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Dean went into work more warily than usual. He wasn’t sure what the exact process was going to be for this investigation. 

Jody was right in front of his office when he rounded the corner. 

“Hey, Jody.”

“Morning, Dean. You ready?”

“Guess so. Cas seems to know more about this than me, but I think he’ll need help with interviews and some other investigative stuff.”

Jody smiled and nodded. “Glad to hear it. How’s the kid?”

“He’s alright. You remember where my spare key is?”

“Yup, under the chair, right?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, that’s it.”

Jody hummed. “Alright, well good luck. Don’t be gone for more than two days.”

“I won’t. We’ll come back by then and go over what we found. Hopefully we can at least get a few leads.”

“That’s what I’m hoping too. Take care.”

“Thanks, Jody.” Dean turned to go into his office, but then Castiel walked up beside him. “Hey.”

“Hello. Are you ready?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, let me set my stuff down.” He opened his office and set down his work bag. He made sure he had his badge, pen and notepad, and his phone, then nodded. “Okay. I’m ready. How do we do this?”

Castiel walked over to Dean. “It’s simple. Just relax.” He grabbed Dean’s wrist.

There was a fluttering of wings and a sensation of wind being blown in Dean’s face. When he blinked, they were in the middle of the woods somewhere. His head was spinning and he thought he might fall over.

“Jesus Christ, that sucks!”

“It takes some getting used to.” Castiel rolled his shoulders. “This is exactly where Jack woke up.”

Dean rubbed his face. “And where exactly is here?”

“Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado.” Castiel started walking around, looking at the ground. 

Dean took a moment to get his bearings before he started looking as well. There was nothing obvious to the naked eye. He didn’t see any footsteps or clothing scraps, until he looked closer. “Cas, look. Three sets of footsteps.” He followed them to a dent in the ground that was about the size of a person. After the dent, there was only one set of footsteps. 

Castiel looked at what Dean was pointing at. “There’s only two. Two people walked up, one laid down, and the other went back the way they came. Then, whoever was laying down got back up and went the other way.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Jack is probably the single set that goes that way, so let’s follow the others.”

Castiel started walking along next to the footsteps. They were faint, only remaining because of deep, dried mud that must have been wet when the footsteps were made. They walked for what must have been nearly a mile. Finally, they came across a trail, and there were tire marks. 

“Looks like an ATV or a four-wheeler.”

Castiel nodded. He squatted down and rested his fingers against the dirt. “I can’t sense anything here. No traces of grace or anything.”

“What does that mean?”

Castiel stood back up. “Probably that they haven’t been back since they left Jack out here. Let’s keep following this trail. It’s the best lead we have.”

Dean nodded in agreement. “As much as teleporting sucked, I’m glad you can do it now that we’re wandering into the middle of nowhere.”

Dean walked along the trail, watching the tire tracks to make sure that they didn’t lose them. He wished that he wasn’t in his work suit, because it was getting muggy out. 

After another hour of walking, they exited the National Forest and came across a little cabin next to a pond. The tire tracks led right up to an ATV parked outside. The cabin looked run down and empty. 

Castiel looked around. “Do you think anyone is here? There’s an actual road out of here now.”

Dean shrugged. “Let’s find out.” He walked up to the door and knocked loudly. On the third knock, the wood splintered and Dean pulled his hand back. He waited a few seconds, then tried the doorknob. The door opened, and inside was a wasteland. There was dust everywhere, knocked over furniture, and broken windows. 

“It looks very abandoned.”

Dean looked around inside. “Yeah, but this is where they came from. You going to do that angel spidey sense thing?”

Castiel tilted his head. “What?”

“The thing where you felt the ground.”

“Oh, right.” Castiel walked over to the wall and placed his hand on it. He closed his eyes, brows knitted together in concentration. After a few seconds, his eyes opened, blue light shining from them. 

Dean watched curiously. “What do you see?”

Castiel didn’t speak for a few seconds, but he looked like he was seeing something horrific. He let go of the wall. “We...we don’t need to look for a Nephilim. It was Jack.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “How? He was perfectly human when we saw him.”

“He had no trace of grace within him at all that I could sense.”

“How do you know that it was him?”

“I could see it. He lived here, with a woman, human. She was killed, and Jack was taken by someone. I couldn’t tell who or what took him. The presence of Jack doesn’t go back very far, only a few weeks. Nephilims don’t age normally. Jack could very well be only a few weeks old.”

Dean swallowed. “So, what does this mean?”

“Someone is walking around with Nephilim grace. If an angel has it, they could absorb it and end up far more powerful.”

“You said that you would have known about a Nephilim being born, since they’re so powerful. Why do you think you didn’t sense it?”

Castiel shook his head. “I don’t know. It would take some very powerful cloaking spells to hide one, but I suppose it could be done.”

Dean looked around the house. “Let’s check out this place some more. We may find another lead.” He split up from Castiel to search the different rooms of the house. Everything was dusty and run down, but parts of the kitchen were clean. When he opened the fridge, it was working and there was food in it. There were other little signs of life, like lines in the dust on the floor where people walked. 

Upstairs, there were a few bedrooms. Two of them looked lived in. The first looked like a child’s bedroom. There were toys and books scattered around, and the sheets were pulled off the twin sized bed. 

Dean wandered into the other bedroom and found another space that looked lived in. He searched the bedside table and pulled out a cell phone. He clicked the side button, and it came on. It unlocked without a password, and immediately went to the photos app. There was only one item, and it was a video. “Cas! I found something!”

Castiel found his way into the bedroom. “What is it?”

Dean showed the video to Castiel. “Is this the woman you saw?”

Castiel nodded. “That’s her. She was human from what I could see.”

Dean hit play on the video, holding the phone so that both he and Castiel could see it.

The woman moved back from the camera and took a deep breath. “Hi, Jack. This is your mom. I just wanted to make this video in case something happens to me. You’re going to grow up to do great things, I know it. I think you can even save the world. Use your power for good. I know you can. I love you.” She leaned forward and the video cut off. 

Dean paused for a moment to absorb that. “Well, that doesn’t help much. All we know now is that there was at least one human around, and now she’s dead.”

Castiel sighed. “We should bring this back. Both for evidence and to show Jack. I don’t know if he’d remember her, but he should still see this, nonetheless.”

Dean nodded and slipped the phone into his pocket. “We should get into town, see if anyone has seen either of them around. Do you have a picture of Jack, by chance?”

“I do.” Castiel pulled out his phone and showed Dean the picture. It was simple, front-facing, and Jack had a slight smile.

“Good. Wait, why did you take that?”

“Investigative purposes, like this.”

“Ah, well good. Can you fly us into the nearest town? I don’t really think walking is going to be practical here.”

Castiel nodded. “Of course. Denver is just outside the woods.” He reached out for Dean’s wrist, pausing when Dean pulled back.

“Whoa, wait, I need to mentally prepare myself for that.”

“You’re the one who said we should fly.”

“I’m well aware, but that was damn near traumatic last time. Give me a second.” Dean took a deep breath before nodding. “Okay, ready.” He closed his eyes and felt Castiel’s hand on his wrist. The sensation of wind came back and he heard the fluttering of wings. His head spun this time and he was disoriented. 

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. God! That sucks!” Dean rubbed his face and looked around. They were in a dimly lit alley. 

Castiel rolled his shoulders with a slight grimace.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m just out of shape, is all. Flying is exhausting.”

Dean nodded a bit. “I can imagine so. Alright, let’s start asking around. Want me to take the lead?”

“Please.”

Dean led the way out of the alley and looked around the street they were on. He saw a little mart across the street and decided to try them first. He walked inside and asked them if they had seen either the mom or Jack, showing the cashier pictures. The guy shook his head, and they were on to the next store. 

Dean asked at least twenty people in different shops about Jack and his mom. No one had ever seen them before. Hours passed and the routine was exhausting. Dean wasn’t capable of getting physically tired, but mentally, he was drained. 

It was starting to get late, and they tried a gas station just outside of town. There, they got a hit. 

“Oh yeah, I saw them a few weeks ago. Woman came in kind of freaking out, and the kid was following her. They bought some food and a tank of gas and left quickly.”

Dean let out a small sigh of relief. “You didn’t happen to get any names, did you?”

“No, I don’t remember what her card said or anything.”

Dean nodded. “That’s alright, thank you so much for your time.”

“No problem. Good luck finding them.”

Dean gave a small wave as he let the station. “Well, that's something at the very least.”

Castiel sighed. “We still don’t have a location or any idea where that woman came from.” He shifted uncomfortably.

Dean nodded. “Yeah. We should probably head back to the station.”

“I can’t fly right now. We need a motel.”

“What? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Wing maintenance is a pain. I need to groom my wings before we fly again. There’s a motel about a mile down the road.”

Dean groaned a bit. “Really? Why do you need to do any of that?”

“Because I don’t want half my feathers to fall out, and then we can’t fly at all. Come on.’

Castiel started leading the way down the road with Dean trudging along behind him.

Once they arrived at the motel, Castiel asked for a room.

“We only have singles left.”

“That’s fine.”

The clerk handed them a key. “104 on your left.”

“Thank you.” Castiel walked to the door and opened it. “It’s a good thing we don't have to sleep, otherwise the single bed would be awkward.”

Dean walked over to the bed and flopped down face first onto it. “I’m still gonna lay here. Do your thing.” He felt like melting into the bed. It had been a long time since he had an investigation like this, and it was hard. The interviews were frustrating, and they had been walking all day. 

Dean’s head shot up when he heard a loud thud against the ceiling. He turned his head and saw Castiel sitting shirtless on the bed, two massive, black wings spread out behind him. “Dude, why am I able to see those?”

“I have to bring them to this plane to be able to groom them.” Castiel turned to look at Dean and glared a bit. “Don’t stare.”

Dean put his head back down. “Excuse me, sassy. I’ve never seen angel wings before. I always thought they were white.”

“They can be different colors. Mine are black because I was a warrior of the garrison.”

“I thought you were a guardian angel.’”

“Not originally.” Castiel went quiet and curled on wings around himself, brushing his fingers through the feathers and plucking out the dead ones. 

“Huh. You’re a big box of surprises, huh?”

“I’m sure you are too, you just don’t talk about yourself at all.”

Dean narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?’

“Nothing. Just pointing that out. I know nothing about your past. You’ve been a detective for ten years, but you’re over three hundred years old. Surely you did something else.”

Dean made a soft ‘hmph’ sound. “Yeah, I did stuff before. I didn’t just lay around doing nothing.”

“So, what did you do, say, before the war?”

“I worked in hell.”

“Doing what? Serving the king?”

“Hell no, I’d never work directly under Crowley. He’s a dick.”

Castiel nodded a bit. “So, what did you do?”

Dean apsued. “You’re going to hate me if I tell you.”

“No, I won’t. It’s in the past.”

“I was a torturer. I tortured the souls. I didn’t do it for very long, only thirty years. Worst thirty years of my life.”

Castiel paused and turned around to look at Dean. “Why would you do that?”

“Told you. You hate me now.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “No, I don’t. I’m just curious. Why would you want to do that?”

“I didn’t want to. I had a stupid deal with Crowley. I screwed with him a lot, and one day I pissed him off so bad that he was going to have me killed. But, he’s a businessman, so I was able to make a deal with him. Thirty years of torturing souls in exchange for not dying.”

Castiel stared at Dean for a moment before going back to his wings. “What about before then?”

“Crossroads. I actually didn’t mind doing that. I made deals with humans and then kissed them. It wasn’t so bad. I did that as soon as I was able, and only stopped because of my deal. After the deal, I took some time for myself, became a bit of a nomad. I drove around the country with Sam, and we hunted things. We were vigilantes, taking down anyone that was out of line. It was good work. Then the war happened and we stopped to avoid getting thrown in jail. It was easy to avoid human cops, bit demon cops? That’s another story.”

Castiel seemed pleased with himself. “This is the most I’ve ever heard you talk about yourself.”

“You asked.”

“I know. Thank you for answering .”

Dean hummed. “I decided to become a detective after several decades of nothing. Sam’s been a prosecutor for almost forty years. He loves it. I crashed at his place all the time and did nothing for forty years. Then, Sam made me get off my ass and I become a detective. It was the closest to the work I did with Sam right before the war.”

“I’m glad you found a profession that you like so much.”

Dean nodded a bit. “Yeah, it’s nice. Why’d you become a detective? Seems like a big jump from warrior, to guardian, to detective.”

“I was a warrior for most of my life. I was trained as a fledgeling. I fought in every heavenly battle and even led my own garrison. All was well until a particularly bad battle. I lost my entire garrison, and I was injured. My right wing, it has a scar, and it’s never healed properly. I can’t fly as much anymore because of it.”

Dean picked his head up to look. Sure enough, there was a long line down Castiel’s right wing. “Damn. That sucks.”

“There was a silver lining. I became a guardian angel. I loved it. I watched over many different humans in my time doing it. They were all so special, and I loved them so much. I couldn't directly interfere with them, which was hard, but I still gave them whispers and signs, pointing them in the right direction. The worst part was the war, and my last human. She was killed by demons in her own home, hiding away.”

Dean frowned. “So that’s why you don’t like demons?”

“No, mostly because of the wars I fought with them back in the day, but that too. You’re the nicest demon I’ve ever met… actually, no you’re not. Jody and Donna are nicer than you.”

“Hey! Well, you’re right. I’m kind of an asshole.”

“At least you admit it.”

Dean shrugged and sighed. “So, what did you do after humans were gone?”

Castiel hummed. “I became a recluse. I was deeply depressed. I stayed on earth and hid away in a small home, doing nothing. I felt useless without a human to protect, or a war to fight. Then I talked to a few friends, and they suggested I look for a job. I finally listened, and started training to work at the station. I went to school, and became a detective. I’m glad I did. I was really going downhill for a while there.”

Dean nodded a bit. “Guess we were in the same boat, huh?’ He chuckled a bit. “I think we’re both avoiding talking about the war.”

“I certainly am. Why are you?”

Dean paused. “My mom was killed in the war.”

“Was she human?”

“No, demon like me. She was killed by a human. She wasn’t even fighting. We were trying to stay hidden, and humans broke in. She got in front of me and Sam, and the guy killed her. Of course, then I killed him, but revenge doesn’t make that kind of thing feel any better. My dad went berserk and I have no idea where he went. He probably got arrested or killed years ago.”

Castiel frowned and looked at Dean. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

“I see why you distrust humans now. I would too if I were you.”

Dean sighed. “I guess.” He looked at Castiel. “Why are you avoiding talking about it?”

“Because I fought alongside the humans, and they still lost. I hate that I couldn’t protect them, especially when they needed me most. I was one of very few angels fighting. The rest hid like cowards in heaven.”

Dean nodded. “Sounds about right to me. I can say with confidence that you’re the nicest angel I’ve ever met.”

Castiel smiled a bit. “Thanks.” He started reaching back over his shoulder to reach the center of his wings. He strained and did the best he could. “Damn it, I should have brought my brush or something.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“I know there’s stuff stuck in them back there. I have to get if out or it’ll rip out my feathers.”

Dean sat up. “Need some help?’

Castiel paused. “I don’t think you want to do that.”

“Why not? Will I disintegrate if I touch them?”

Castiel shook his head. “No.”

“Then why not?”

“It’s just...very intimate.”

Dean shrugged. “We’re by ourselves, and I’d like to be able to get home when we’re ready. I’ll pull some sticks out of your wings.”

“You have to get the dead feathers out on top. They’ll just fall out when you brush through them.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Dean scooted forwards and looked at the mess of feathers in front of him. He pulled out a couple twigs and leaves, tossing them aside. Once they were gone, he ran his fingers through the feathers, his eyes wide when he felt how soft and silky they were. He mindlessly kept going, brushing through all of the feathers on the backs of Castiel’s wings. Feathers fell to the bed, leaving the rest of the wing shining. 

Dean only stopped when Castiel made a strangled noise. “Dude, you okay?”

Castiel’s face was flushed bright red, and his lower lip was drawn in between his teeth. “I told you, this is very intimate.”

Dean’s eyes widened with realization. “Oh...Oh!” He swallowed. When did it get so hot in here? “Should I keep going?”

“Not if you're uncomfortable.”

“Are you uncomfortable?”

Castiel shook his head. 

Dean paused before continuing. This time, he paid attention to what he was doing. He ran his hand along the top bone, and his eyes widened when Castiel bit back a moan. He waited a few seconds before doing it again. The wings fluttered under his touch. He raked his fingers through the feathers again.

“Fuck…”

Dean raised a brow. “I’d think someone so holy wouldn’t use language lie that.”

“Shut up…” Castiel bit his knuckle.

Dean tilted his head. “So, you like it when I do this?” He ran his fingers through the feathers again, gently scratching the skin underneath.

Castiel gasped and nodded. 

Dean felt his own face heating up. He moved a little closer to Castiel and ran both hands through his wings.

“Dean…”

“Yeah?”

Castiel looked back over his shoulder at Dean, eyes flicking down to his lips and back up to his eyes.

Dean leaned over Castiel’s shoulder and kissed him, letting his chest press against the angel's back. He wasn’t thinking much about what he was doing. Sparks were flying and it felt amazing. 

Dean’s hands slipped to the front of Castiel’s wings, brushing through the feathers there. He got a nearly explosive reaction from Castiel and grinned, pulling back from the kiss. “Wait, lie down.”

Castiel nodded and waited for Dean to move out of the way before lying back on the bed. His wings fell gracefully to the bed, spread out behind him. 

Dean took a moment to get a good look at Castiel. He never really thought about it before, but Castiel was bot. Dean slowly moved over Castiel, straddling his hips. “Is this okay?”

Castiel nodded quickly. “Whatever you do, don’t stop now.”

Dean chuckled softly and reached forwards again. He ran his fingers through the feathers, drawing a long moan from Castiel. “I never thought I would get to defile an angel.”

“Shut up, not my fault that I never had time for relations.”

Dean stopped. “Wait, are you seriously a virgin?”

Castiel nodded. 

“You’re thousands of years old!”

“Like I said, I never had time for it.”

Dean stared for a moment. “Do you want to keep going?”

“Of course I do. I don't see how my virgin status changes how I want this to go.”

“Just making sure.” Dean ran his hand over Castiel’s wing before letting his fingers dive into the silky feathers. 

Castiel’s hands found Dean’s thighs and held them tightly. “Fuck, Dean!”

Dean felt Castiel’s bulge against his ass and moved back slightly, brushing against it. Castiel’s hips moved up for more, and Dean gladly obliged. He got into a better position and rubbed his own erection against Castiel’s. It wasn’t great through several layers of fabric, but he was so turned on at this point that anything felt amazing. 

Castiel panted softly, lips parted and eyes squeezed shut. 

Dean slowly closed his hands into fists and gently tugged on the feathers to see what would happen. He grinned as Castiel gasped and bucked his hips up.

“Dean!”

“I’ve got you.” Dean leaned down and kissed Castiel’s jaw as he stroked his hands through his wings, rolling his hips in time with his hands. 

Castiel suddenly convulsed underneath him, wings beating against the bed several times. He moaned wildly, and Dean knew that he just made an angel come. The sight was too much, and Dean followed him over the edge with a long groan. 

The pair sat in silence for a minute, panting softly and still holding one another. Finally, the feeling of come in his boxers made Dean grimace. “I should have packed more pants.”

Castiel lifted a hand and waved it. Suddenly, Dean’a pants were clean. 

“Huh, that’s nifty.”

Castiel chuckled softly. “I guess it is.”

Dean looked back down at Castiel, and without the endorphins of sex, the realization of what they just did hit. Dean backed off of Castiel quickly. “Why did we do that?”

Castiel sat up. “I’m...not sure.”

Dean ran his hands through his hair. “I had weird wing sex with my coworker.”

Castiel didn’t seem very fazed. “At least some of the sexual tension is gone.”

“The what?”

Castiel tilted his head. “You haven’t noticed? I think everyone in the station knows by now that we have a weird bond.”

Dean made a face. “What's that supposed to mean?

“I don’t really know. Ever since I've arrived, there’s been a connection between us. I could only assume it was sexual tension. I always thought you were attractive.”

Dean stared in shock for a few seconds. Deep down, he thought Castiel was attractive too... but this was too much. “We never speak of this.”

Castiel frowned, but nodded. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”

Dean stood up. “I’m showering.”

“Okay.”

Dean nearly ran to the bathroom and closed the door. He felt choked, trapped, maybe even suffocated. Dean had his fair share of hookups in his time, but this was different, and so much more volatile. That didn’t feel like a hookup. It felt like something more, and it scared Dean more than anything had in years. 

Dean scrubbed his body raw in the shower. When he emerged, he stared at himself in the mirror for a few minutes. He redressed himself and exited the bathroom. Castiel was picking up all of the feathers and depositing them into the small trash can. 

“Better?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He rubbed his face. “What now? We have hours until morning.”

Castiel shrugged. “We could head home. My wings are very well groomed now, so I can fly.”

Dean sighed. “I need a nap.”

“Okay.”

Dean laid down on the bed. “Don’t stare at me while I sleep.”

“I’ll try not to.”

Dean closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. Even though he had the ability to never sleep for the rest of his life, something about the act of it was very calming to him. He fell asleep shortly after he started trying, snoring softly into the pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean woke up when the sun started shining in his eyes. He sat up and saw Castiel sitting on the bed, facing away from him and watching the sun rise outside the window. He was fully dressed again and the wings were gone. He turned around when he heard Dean shift.

“Good morning.”

“Mmm, mornin’.” Dean sat up and rubbed his face. “I feel better now.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Dean stood up and stretched. “Ready to head back to the station?”

Castiel stood up and nodded. “I am. Are you ready to fly?”

Dean groaned. “Forgot about that part.” He sighed. “Yes.” He held his wrist out and closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them, he was disoriented again and back in his own office. It was about time for everyone to start arriving, but Dean needed a moment to collect himself again. 

Castiel watched Dean. “Are you okay?’

“I’m fine.” Dean shook out his arms. “I’m good.” He walked out of his office. “You should come with me to talk to Jody. You know more about this stuff than me.”

Castiel followed Dean to Jody’s office. Both of them were surprised to see Jack sitting there with her. 

“Hey, boys. How did it go?”

Dean looked at Castiel. “We got a few things, not much.”

“Did you find the Nephilim?”

Castiel looked at Jack. “There isn’t a Nephilim to find. Only its grace. Jack was a Nephilim. Someone stole his grace and erased his memories. If it was an angel, that angel could be walking around with an extraordinary amount of power.”

Jody looked at Jack, then back at Castiel. “What does that mean for Jack?”

“Well, he’s human now, so we should treat him as such. He’s completely powerless.”

Jody nodded. “What else?”

Dean took the cell phone they found out of his pocket. “We found this. It’s an empty phone except for one video. It’s a video of Jack’s mom. She was human. She’s dead, as far as we could tell.”

Jody took the phone and looked at the image of the woman. “What’s in the video?”

“It’s a video for Jack. I think he should see it.” Castiel took the phone once it was handed to him and played the video for Jack, who looked a little shell-shocked. 

Jack watched the video curiously, a sad expression coming to his face. “I don’t know who she is.”

Castiel frowned. “She was your mom. She loved you a lot.”

Jack nodded a bit, looking away from the phone. “Do you think I’ll get my memories back?”

“I don’t know. I tried to bring them back for you, but I couldn’t do it. I’m sorry.”

Jack looked up at Castiel with a soft smile. “It’s okay. Thanks for trying.”

Jody looked up at Dean. “I guess our next objective is to find out who’s walking around with the Nephilim grace. Do you have any leads?”

Dean shook his head. “Almost nothing. We didn’t hear anything about another person with them.”

Castiel thought for a moment. “I could ask a few of my friends, other angels. They may have some information.”

Jody nodded. “That would be great. Keep working. I’m rooting for y’all.”

Dean gave a tiny smile and looked at Jack. “Wanna come sit in my office?”

“Sure.”

Dean led the boy to his office and sat down at his desk. Since he was pretty caught up on work, there were only a few cases he had to look over. He made sure that half of them had gone to Castiel before starting on his work for the day. He gave Jack his phone to play on, letting him download any free app he wanted. 

The work day ended, and Dean snuck Jack carefully out of the building. Hiding a human was hard. When he got home, he closed his garage door before letting Jack out of the car. 

While Dean cooked dinner, he couldn’t stop thinking about the case with Jack. They had almost no leads on where to go next. When he got stumped, he liked to ask the most basic questions he could think of, and try to come up with answers. 

Why was Jack living in that abandoned cabin? Were he and his mom hiding from something? That had to be the only explanation. They were most likely hiding from Jack’s dad, who was probably the angel they were looking for. 

“Kelly!”

Dean’s head shot up when he heard Jack’s voice from the living room. “What?”

Jack walked into the kitchen. “My mom’s name was Kelly. Kelly Kline.”

Dean set down his spoon. “How do you know that?”

“I-I don’t know. I was just thinking about that video, and then I remembered. I remember the cabin we stayed in. It was really old and dusty. We were running from someone.”

Dean grabbed a napkin and wrote down the name Jack gave him. “You should keep thinking about what you’re remembering. Maybe more will come back to you.” He pulled out his phone and called Castiel. 

“Hello?”

“Cas, we have a lead. Jack remembered his mom’s name.” Silence. “Cas?”

“Yes?”

Dean looked to his left and saw Castiel standing in his kitchen. He clutched his chest. “God! Quit doing that!”

“Sorry. I’ll hang up now.” Castiel hung up and put his phone back into his pocket. “What was her name?”

Dean looked at the napkin. “Kelly Kline. Jack said that he remembered the cabin, and they were running from someone.”

Castiel looked at Jack. “Good, that’s great. Can we look up her name in the database?”

Dean nodded. “I can do it from my laptop. Let me give Jack his dinner and then we’ll look.” He turned back to the stove and took his salmon off the heat. He plated it with the rice pilaf he made and set the plates down on the table. He ignored his own food for now to grab his laptop out of his work bag.

Castiel watched Dean closely. “Will she show up? If she was human, she must have been in hiding.”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a shot, right?” Dean typed the name into the search bar of the police database and waited for results. A few other people with the last name Kline came up, but the species was wrong in all cases. Werewolf, rugaru, vampire… 

“Now what?”

Dean sighed and looked at Jack. “Maybe he’ll remember more. He’s our only source other than your angel friends. Speaking of, have you asked them yet?”

“I’m expecting a visit from one tonight. He said he might be able to help. He’s an archangel, more powerful than me.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “You know one of the four archangels? Which one?”

“Gabriel.”

“I’ve heard weird things about him. I know he posed as a trickster for a while just to screw with humans.”

“He has an...interesting personality. I trust him, though. He usually knows about almost everything that’s going on, which is helpful.”

Dean nodded. “Alright. When are you supposed to meet him?”

“He said he’d come to me tonight.”

Dean closed his laptop. “Alright. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss him.” He stood up and nearly ran straight into someone. 

“He won’t miss me.”

Dean backed up quickly and stared at the man in front of him. He was short and had wavy, golden brown hair. “What is with angels and appearing out of nowhere?! If I were human I would have died from a heart attack by now!”

Gabriel chuckled. “You’re funny.” He moved around Dean to get to Castiel. “Hey Cassie. How’s it going?”

“It’s going fine, Gabriel. Do you have any information you can share?”

“Sure. Where’s the kid?”

Castiel pointed to the table, where Jack was eating. 

Gabriel looked over his shoulder at him. “Look at that, he is human now.”

  
“You knew about him before he lost his grace?”

“Castiel, I know everything.” Gabriel walked over to the couch and sat down. “You should sit down too. You’re not gonna be happy when you hear who his daddy is.”

Castiel walked into the living room and sat down in a chair. “Why didn’t you tell me that you knew all of this.”

“You know me, I don’t interfere with anything unless someone I’m close with needs my help. I can’t help you much with this, except for information. I refuse to get involved.”

“Fine. So who is it?”

“My dear older brother, Lucifer.”

Dean choked on his salmon and coughed. “What?”

“Your old boss, I know.”

“I never worked under Lucifer.”

Gabriel nodded. “Right, you’re too young. Probably your grandaddy’s old boss. Anyways, Luci knocked up a human a few months back. He has a witch captive, a powerful one. She’s been casting cloaking spells for him.”

Castiel took a deep breath. “How did he get out of the cage?”

“The witch. She thought it would end up being more of a partnership, but Lucifer is a dick so he just uses her more like a slave now.”

Dean looked at Jack to see how he was processing this. The kid didn’t seem to know what was going on, which was probably for the best.

Gabriel leaned back against the couch. “I can’t tell you where Lucifer is now. The cloaking spells work on me too, so I can’t track him. He’s probably in the US, and chances are he gobbled up the kid’s grace for more power.”

Castiel looked over at Dean, and then back at Gabriel. “We’re going to need an archangel blade. I know you have one.”

“I’m going to need some kind of collateral to give you that. I can’t just lend it out to everyone.”

“Come on, Gabriel. You know me. I’ll give it back once we kill Lucifer, or get him back in the cage. Preferably kill him.”

Gabriel crossed his arms, staring at Castiel for a moment. “Fine. I’m gonna be upset if you die with it, not just because you died, but also for my blade.” 

Castiel let out a small sigh of relief. “You know, you should be helping us with this. Dean and I barely stand a chance against Lucifer, especially if he has heightened powers. You could put up an actual fight.”

“And get myself killed? No thanks.”

Dean made a face. “You sound like a selfish prick.”

Gabriel huffed. “I spent thousands of years fighting with my brothers. I’m done with it now. If you want to go up against my brother, that’s your choice, just like it’s my choice to stay out of it.”

“So you’ll let your friend die?” Dean raised a brow. “Like Cas said, we don’t stand much of a chance. Even with the whole police force behind us, we’ll probably die up against something that big. We need more firepower.”

  
Jack frowned. “You’re both going to die?”

Dean looked at Jack, then at Gabriel. “We will unless he helps.”

Jack looked at Gabriel. “Please, don’t let them die. They’ve done everything for me, I can’t lose them.”

Gabriel glared slightly at Dean. “Guilt-tripping me with a kid? That’s low.”

Dean shrugged. 

Gabriel looked at Jack’s pleading eyes and groaned. “Fine. If I get killed, it’s your fault.”

Castiel smiled softly. “Thank you, Gabriel.”

“Save it.” He huffed. “I can help you fight him, but I can’t do much about finding him. You guys are detectives, so I’ll leave it up to you. When it’s about to go down, give me a call and I’ll be there.”

  
“I’ll kick your ass if you bail on us, Gabriel.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Gabriel stood up. “Nice meeting you, Dean. I’m out.” He vanished from the living room.

Dean finished his dinner. “Well, he was lovely.”

Castiel sighed. “He can be a pain, I know. I swear he’s trustworthy. He’s never let me down before.”

Dean picked up the dirty dishes. “He better not this time. I don’t really feel like getting killed.”

Jack frowned. “Are you really going to die?”

Castiel stood up and shook his head. “No, we’re not. Dean’s just being an asshole.”

Dean looked back at Castiel. “What are you talking about? I’m being honest.”

“Well, you’re scaring him! Try having some compassion, unless that’s too hard for someone like you.”

Dean dropped the dishes in the sink. “We’re really going there again? You have a nasty prejudice against demons.”

“You hate angels too, so you have no ground to stand on here.”

Dean huffed. “You didn’t hate me last night when I was all up in your wings.”

Castiel gaped. “You-you stubborn, incorrigible, narcissistic asshole! I can’t believe I put up with you! You know I haven’t complained once about you to anyone at the station! I can bet money that you’ve shit on me to half the people there.”

“Actually, I haven’t. I haven’t said a word about you, because I’m a professional who cares about his job.”

Castiel glared. “Now you’re a liar too.”

“I’m not lying!” Dean stepped closer to Castiel. “What is with you? You point out every flaw of mine and start arguments every chance you get.”

“I’m not the one causing arguments. You just keep making me angry!”

“Yeah? Why do I make you angry?” Dean felt the room getting a little warmer. He was right up in front of Castiel now.

“Because you’re an asshole!” Castiel’s eyes flicked from Dean’s eyes to his lips.

Dean found himself staring at Castiel’s lips. They were quiet for a few seconds, and then Dean backed up. “You’re doing something to me! You’re using my angel mojo to make me attracted to you!”

“What? I can’t even do that! You’re doing that yourself.”

“Well, so are you.”

Castiel huffed. “I’m going home.” He disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Dean alone with a very shell shocked Jack.

“What is wrong with you two?”

Dean looked at Jack. “I don’t know. We just don’t get along.”

“I think you get along fine. I think you’re just scared of liking each other.”

Dean blinked. “Okay, bedtime.” He led Jack back to the bedroom. “You need anything?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Alright. Sleep well.” Dean retreated upstairs to his bedroom, still huffy as he took a shower and tried to calm down. He tried not to think about everything that had been happening between him and Castiel, especially the wing sex. 

As Dean tried to fall asleep, he couldn’t get the image of Castiel out of his head. All he could see were those wings and the way Castiel fell apart underneath him. He was beautiful, and it hurt. 


	7. Chapter 7

Dean went into work feeling like shit the next day. He really didn’t want to face Castiel today. After the fight last night and the feelings that were threatening to come to the surface, the idea of seeing the angel made Dean’s stomach turn. 

Sure enough, there he was in Jody’s office, waiting. Dean walked in, trying to be as professional as possible.

Jody smiled up at Dean. “Good morning. How are you?”

“I’m alright.”

Jody hummed. “So, we’re hunting an archangel now?”

“Guess so.” Dean sighed. “I don’t even know where to start.”

Castiel thought for a moment. “Well, I know what he looks like, so we have a physical description.”

Dean nodded. “Not sure how much that helps if we don’t have a location.”

“I guess you’re right. Our best bet would be to track the Nephilim grace, but the cloaking spells are too powerful. Lucifer must have an extremely powerful witch on his side.”

Jody rested an elbow on her desk. “Could we track the witch? Do we know who they are?”

Castiel shook his head. “Unless Gabriel knows who the witch is and can track her, then no.”

Jody hummed. “You should get Gabriel in here.”

“I can try, but no promises. He’s flighty about these things.”

“I still think it’s crazy that you know THE Gabriel.” Jody chuckled. “Well, get to work you two. I’ll be here if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Jody.” Dean smiled softly at her before leaving the room. 

Since Castiel had the most intel on this case, Dean decided to take over all of the other cases, just to get them out of the way. It was somewhat relaxing to go back to his old work without thinking about humans or a certain angel. 

Dean walked out of the building that evening with Castiel trailing behind him. He walked a little faster, and Castiel followed suit. After the fight from last night, Dean’s patience was gone. He turned around quickly. “Why are you following me? Your car is over there.” Dean pointed. 

Castiel tilted his head. “Why are you yelling?”

“Answer my question.”

“I was trying to ask you if I could come see Jack tonight. I’m sure he’s stressed with all of this, and I wanted to try and access more of his memories.”

Dean huffed. “Fine, but leave me alone.” He got into his car and sped away, white-knuckling the steering wheel. 

Dean nearly stormed into the house. He hated the fact that Castiel was coming over tonight. He just wanted to be alone right now, but he had to deal with an ex-nephilim and an angel. Fantastic.

Dean found some peace while he cooked. He started to calm down and even thought about trying to talk to Castiel.

But, when Dean heard the sound of wings and then that deep voice in the living room, he was fuming again. He felt crowded, and he wanted to escape. He felt like he wanted to go home, but he already was in his supposed home. It certainly didn’t feel like one right now. 

Dean put Jack’s plate on the table before retreating up to his own room. He locked the door and ate in silence, stabbing the pieces of chicken on his plate with his fork. He wanted to scream, but he was trapped. 

Dean didn’t bother taking his dishes downstairs. He licked the plate clean, so it wasn’t too bad, and he could do it in the morning. Just when he was about to get in the shower, there was a knock on the door.

“What?”

“We need to talk.”

Dean groaned. “Go away.”

“I can and will unlock this door.”

“Dude, don’t break into my room! I’m naked!”

“No, you’re not.”

Dean looked down at his clothed body and huffed. No use lying to a being like Castiel. He trudged over to the door and unlocked it. “What do you want?”

“I want you to stop being an asshole, but we can’t always get what we want, can we? What I need is to speak with you about Jack.”

Dean squeezed his fist closed. “I want to punch you so bad right now.”

“Do it.” Castiel stepped closer to Dean. “I dare you.”

Dean growled and swung his arm, his fist colliding with Castiel’s cheek. The angel stumbled back a bit, and Dean shook out his hand. “Thanks, I feel slightly better.”

Castiel glared and rubbed his cheek. “You punched me.”

“You told me to!”

“I didn’t think that you’d actually do it!”

“Well then you’re an idiot!”

Castiel huffed. “Jack has been having nightmares about his father. I was going to stay tonight and watch his dreams. It may give us a lead.”

Dean sighed. “Fine.”

Castiel paused. “So, we’re still not going to talk about what’s going on?”

“There’s nothing going on except my hatred of you.”

Castiel chuckled. “That’s cute. You don’t hate me and you know it.”

“Then why do you make me feel so angry?”

“That’s your problem. You make me angry because you’re stubborn, and you’re refusing to see what’s happening here. We’re bonded by something. Some force out there has stuck us together, and whether we like it or not, there’s chemistry. I wouldn’t be saying this if I wasn’t sure that you saw it too. But, I know it scares you.”

Dean swallowed before glaring. “You don’t know a thing about me.”

“You’re forgetting that I can hear your loudest thoughts.”

“You never told me that!”

Castiel shrugged. “Never came up in conversation. I don’t actively try to listen. Some things just come forward more than others. I can sense your fear. You’re afraid to feel something.”

Dean took a step back. “Shut up.”

“I’m not going to make you do anything, Dean, but you’re torturing yourself here. I don’t know how to help you except to just tell you how it is. Maybe you’ll listen to me more than you listen to yourself. We don’t have to be anything if that’s not what you want. Maybe we’re just destined to be fantastic coworkers and nothing more.”

“I don’t believe in destiny.”

“I don’t either. But do you understand what I’m saying?”

Dean kept his eyes away from Castiel, staring at the wall. “Why do you make me feel like this? It's never happened before.”

“I don’t know. I don’t have a good answer for you. But, I can tell you that I feel the same way. I’ve never felt like this about anyone. In fairness, it scares me too. I don’t know how to deal with it very well, but I’m trying.”

Dean took a deep breath and dragged his hands over his face. “What do we do?”

“That’s up to us. We can ignore it, if you want.”

“What do you want to do?”

Now, it was Castiel’s turn to look away shyly. “This is so new, I don’t know all the right steps, but deep down, I know I want to pursue this. I don’t want us to fight anymore. I want to try to explore this new feeling and see where it takes us. Though, I only want it if you do too.”

Dean was quiet, thinking about everything that had been said. “I don’t really know what I want yet. Part of me wants to explore this new feeling, but on the other hand, it terrifies me. Whenever I care about people too much, they get hurt. I’ve lost so much.”

Castiel frowned softly. “You’re not going to lose me.”

“I might. We’re talking about facing down the Devil himself. I’m toast in that battle, I already know that.”

“I’m not letting anything happen to you.” Castiel stood up a little straighter. “I was a warrior for most of my life. I know I have a chance. With Gabriel, I think we can do it.”

“Lucifer probably ate up Jack’s grace, so we don’t even know how powerful he is. It’s probably more than we could ever imagine.”

Castiel sighed. “You’re being too pessimistic. We don’t know anything for sure. I’m going to hold on to hope.”

Dean sat down on his bed. “I can’t believe we’re even in this mess.”

Castiel slowly sat down next to Dean. “I know. I feel like these kinds of things follow me sometimes, so sorry about that.”

Dean shrugged. “Same here. I’ve never been able to escape from near-death scenarios.” He looked over at Castiel. “How are your wings?”

“They’re alright. You groomed them well, so they felt pretty good after that.”

Dean nodded and folded his hands together in his lap. “What gave you that scar on your wing? You said it was a bad battle.”

Castiel shifted. “A powerful demon. Asmodeus. He had an angel blade. He nearly landed a killing blow on me, but I used my wing to block the strike. It took years to heal. Wings are picky that way. I can heal any other injury faster than a human, but my wings are fickle about it. It still hurts sometimes. Angel blades are meant for killing angels. They deal a lot of damage, even in cuts.”

Dean nodded a bit. “I’ve never heard of that guy.”

“Probably because I killed him before you were born.”

“So, you won?”

Castiel stared at the wall. “I don’t consider it a win. I lost my entire garrison. All of my friends were dead. I couldn’t save any of them.”

Dean frowned. He wasn’t really sure what came over him, but he decided to reach over and take Castiel’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” Castiel looked at Dean with a soft, sad smile.

Dean gave a half-hearted smile back. “Do you, um, want me to groom your wings again?”

Castiel laughed softly. “Do you want to groom my wings or do something sexual?”

Dean paused. “Both?”

Castiel kissed Dean’s forehead. “No matter what anyone says, you are adorable.”

“Hey, I know I’m adorable.” Dean turned and pressed a few small kisses to Castiel’s jaw.

Castiel shrugged his jacket off and set it aside. He chuckled softly when Dean started unbuttoning his suit. “Eager, much?”

“Shuddup.” Dean took off every single one of Castiel’s layers until the top half of him was naked. 

Slowly, Castiel unfurled his wings. They brushed the ceiling before resting low enough to stay under it. 

Dean stared at Castiel’s wings with wide eyes, reaching out for them.

“I think you have a wing kink.”

Dean narrowed his eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, just an observation. You seem to like my wings a lot.”

Dean looked back at the wings and nodded. “They are pretty hot.”

“That sounds like a wing kink to me.”

Dean rolled his eyes and plunged his fingers into the feathers. He grinned when Castiel shuddered underneath his touch. “Does it count as a wing kink for you if you like this so much?”

“Probably not. I’m not super attracted to other angel’s wings.”

Dean pouted slightly. “You better not be.”

“Mmm, jealous much?”

“I’m not jealous.”

“That sounded pretty jealous to me. I don’t mind if you’re a little possessive as long as it’s healthy and not controlling.”

Dean blushed. “This is too much talking for sexy time.”

“Apologies, I’m new at this.” Castiel rested a hand on Dean’s thigh. “For sexy time, aren’t you supposed to have your clothes off too?”

Dean looked down at himself. “I mean, I guess. We didn’t need to last time.”

“If you don’t want to, it’s okay. I was just asking because it was something I’d like to see if you’re willing.” 

Dean sat back and started taking off his suit. “The way you talk about this stuff, it’s so...healthy.”

“I prefer healthy relationships. As a guardian I witnessed my humans going through toxic relationships over and over again. I may be new at this, but I have some wisdom on what to do.” 

Dean unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. “I guess that makes sense.”

Castiel nodded and grinned slightly as he got a good look at Dean. “You’re beautiful, Dean.”

Dean felt like his face was going to catch on fire. “Don’t say that.”

“I’m sorry. Is there a word that you’re more comfortable with?” Castiel had a small frown on his face, his head tilted to the side. 

Dean shook his head. “No, I just...no one’s ever looked at me like that, or said that about me.”

“That’s a shame. Anyone who didn’t was wrong.”

Dean took a shaky breath. “I...I don’t know how to do this, Cas. You’re right about me. I’m scared. I’ve never felt this way, and I don’t know how to handle it. You scare me because you’re so good, and I want that. I just don’t think I deserve it. You protected humans, I tortured them. I’ll never be good enough for you.”

Castiel moved closer to Dean. “Don’t say that. You don’t get to decide what’s good enough for me. I’m the only one who knows that. From what you’ve told me, you were coerced into torture to save your own life. You did what you had to in order to stay alive. Also, it sounded like you didn’t enjoy it.”

“I don’t know. I worked under this guy, Alastair, and for a brief time, I think I did enjoy it.” Dean drew back slightly. “What are we doing? You’re an angel, I’m a demon. Our kinds fought wars for centuries. You fought those wars! How could you ever be with me?”

“The fighting days are over for me, at least for now. I know what I want, Dean. If you don’t want it, then I’ll let it go. The thing is, I think you do want it. I want to help you feel good about that, and about yourself. I know that good demons are brainwashed by hell. I’ve personally seen it. You were probably the same. I know how I feel about you. I don’t think you’re a bad guy. You’re stubborn, a little arrogant, and sometimes an asshole, but you’re good. I’ve been able to see the good in you since we met.”

Dean wrapped his arms around himself. “This was supposed to be fun. Why did it turn into this?”

“You’re vulnerable right now. I’ve been a little harsh on you. It’s not my intention to make you uncomfortable.”

“I know.” Dean sighed. “Why is talking about it so hard?”

Castiel looked down. “It’s a very deep part of ourselves that deals with these things. It’s hard, because we don’t like exposing the deepest parts of our beings.”

Dean met Castiel’s eyes again. “Why do you think we fight a lot? That can’t be a good sign.”

“Competition, jealousy, fear...I came barging into the station and took over half of your job. I can’t imagine that it was easy for you.”

“Makes sense.” Dean leaned back against the headboard. “Don’t you need to go listen to Jack’s dreams?”

“I’m doing it from here right now. So far there’s not anything.”

Dean raised a brow. “I think it’s easy to forget how powerful angels are.”

Castiel shrugged. “You’re fairly powerful too.”

Dean hummed and drummed his fingers against his thigh. “I feel like we’ve talked a lot, but nothing has been very resolved.”

“Probably because we don’t know where we’re going with this.”

Dean nodded. “You’re right, as always.” He sat in thought for a moment. “I don’t think I can go on the way we are. It’s frustrating and awful. I don’t think I’m ready for us to just be a couple immediately, but I’m willing to try little things.”

Castiel smiled softly and nodded. “I’d be very happy to try as well.”

Dean felt a small smile coming to his face. He patted the spot next to him on the bed. “C’mere.”

Castiel scooted on the bed until he was next to Dean. He wrapped a wing around him, the feathers brushing Dean’s arm. “Don’t lean back hard against that. You already know how sensitive they are.”

Dean chuckled. “Alright, I’ll be careful.” He looked at the feathers against his arm and ran his fingers over them. “I think I want to hear more about your life. Tell me about the humans you watched over.”

Dean clearly struck a chord there, because for the next few hours, Castiel talked endlessly about the humans he watched over. Dean listened to every word, and realized how soothing Castiel’s voice actually was. Ever since he met the angel, he thought his voice was grating and annoying. Now, the roughness of it rumbled deep within Dean’s head, and it was a good feeling. 

In the middle of the night, Castiel paused in the middle of one of his spiels. “I see him. Jack is dreaming about him.”

Dean sat up. “What do we do?”

“I’ll watch.” Castiel sat silently, staring blankly at the wall in front of them. Several minutes passed, and Dean waited anxiously.

“Anything yet?”

Castiel stayed silent. He was quiet for another minute or so before he looked at Dean. “Wichita, Kansas. He’s not far away, at least not in this dream.”

“Was he super powerful?”

“I don’t know. He was speaking to Jack, calling him to come home. I don’t understand why he would. If he's the one who stole Jack’s grace, then why would he want him back? He was just a human now.”

Dean frowned. “We need Jack on lockdown, then. He can’t stay alone in my house anymore.”

“I warded this place against angels, not archangels. He’d have trouble getting in, but he’d make it. Jack stays with us.”

Dean nodded. “I think the risk of Lucifer is worse than the risk of some random civilian trying to kill him.”

“Agreed.” Castiel sighed. “This probably means that Lucifer will come to us.”

“Should we talk to Gabriel?”

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

Dean ran his hands through his hair. “I should call my brother. I won’t tell him what’s going on, but I should talk to him again in case I, you know, die.”

“You’re not going to die, Dean. Quit saying that.”

Dean shrugged. “Sorry. Just hard to look on the bright side with this.”

“I know. We’ll get through it.”

For the rest of the night, Castiel and Dean were quiet. The night was peaceful and they wanted to enjoy it. They sat in silence and watched the stars from Dean’s window. It was hard to keep from thinking about the inevitable, but they did their best.


	8. Chapter 8

Castiel took Jack to work the next morning in his car. They had agreed that Jack was safer with Castiel than with Dean. 

Castiel shared his findings with Jody, so a meeting was called to prepare the entire station in case of an attack. Extra security was added, and everyone was on red alert. 

Dean found it incredibly hard to focus on his current cases with all of this happening. Once he got a lull in work, he called Sam. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sam. What’s up?”

“Uh, nothing much. Just working. You?”

“It’s a little crazy here, but I’m alright.”

“I heard the station got locked down for a security threat. What’s that about?”

“Oh, just some threat we got in the mail, nothing too big. It’s fine.”

There was a pause. Sam had a good bullshit detector. “That doesn’t sound fine.”

“I promise, it is. I’m safe. How’s Jess?”

“She’s good, really good actually.”

“Yeah?”

Sam paused. “I’m not really supposed to say anything yet so don’t tell anyone, but we’re having a baby!”

Dean’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit, Sammy.” He let out a breathy laugh. “Congrats, man. That’s awesome.”

“I’m really excited. It’s a good time, too. We just got the new house all set up, so now we can make a nursery in one of the spare bedrooms. Don’t worry, we’re keeping your bedroom.”

“Good, because I’ll still need it when I visit.” Dean was glad that Sam couldn’t see him right now. His face was strained. He was incredibly happy for them, but now there was the fear that he’d never see his niece or nephew grow up. The world could just end, if Lucifer was powerful enough. 

“So, I’m going to tell you again in a few weeks, in front of Jess. You’ll have to pretend to be surprised.”

“No problem. I can fake it.”

“Perfect.” Sam’s voice was full of joy. “How’s work?”

“Better. Cas and I are getting along.”

“Great! I’m glad to hear it.”

“Yeah…”

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Dean chewed his lip. “Hm? Nothing. I’m great!”

“...Okay. You can talk to me about anything, you know.”

“I know.” Dean sighed. “I should get back to my work. Congrats again. You’re gonna be a great dad.”

“Thanks. You’re gonna be a great uncle. Talk to you later.”

“Yeah, bye, Sam.”

“Bye, Dean.”

Dean dropped his phone once he hung up and dragged his hands over his face. That was harder than he thought it would be. 

The rest of the day was spent working on the more mundane cases that Dean had. It felt like tedious work with the looming threat of the literal Devil over his head. Jack stayed in Castiel’s office for the day, so at least he was alone. 

When the day was over, Dean was anxious about going home. He knew Castiel was coming, but it felt different with Jack now. Before, Jack made him anxious just because he was human. Now, Jack was a massive target, just sitting in Dean’s house. 

Dean double checked that his doors were locked and that all the blinds were closed. 

Jack looked around the room nervously. “I hear him.”

Dean turned to look at him. “Right now?”

Jack nodded. “He wants me to come back to him. He says...He says that he can bring back my mom and my memories.”

“Jack, don’t listen to him. Even if he can, there’s no way he has good intentions for you. He’s the Devil, it’s in the name.”

“But he’s my dad.”

Dean sighed. “He doesn’t seem like much of a dad to me. He abandoned you and took your powers.”

Jack frowned and sat down on the couch. “I want to see my mom again.”

“I know, buddy. I know how hard it is to lose a mom.”

Jack tilted his head “You lost your mom too?”

Dean nodded. “It was years ago, during the war. She was killed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “How do you feel about pasta for dinner? I have some alfredo sauce that I can use.”

“Okay.”

Dean walked into the kitchen and started gathering the things he needed. He started cooking some fettuccine pasta, and wondered where Castiel was. 

When Dean started carrying the plates to the table, Castiel appeared in the living room with company.

Gabriel looked over at Dean. “Ooh, can I have some?”

Dean pulled his plate closer to his body. “No.”

Jack walked over to the table and sat down to eat. 

Dean noticed another person in his living room. “Who’s that?”

Castiel looked at the woman, and then at Dean. “This is Rowena. She’s the witch that was working with Lucifer. She got away from him, and now she wants to help us put him back in the pit.”

Rowena waved. “Hello, Dean.”

Dean waved back awkwardly. “So, what’s the plan?” He sat down to eat his pasta. 

Gabriel leaned against the wall. “We’re going to use Jack as bait. Lure in Lucifer. I’ll come in and keep him distracted, while demon boy and Rowena get the spell going. Castiel will protect Jack and help me with Lucifer. Once the pit is open, Castiel and I shove him in, and we’re golden. Hopefully none of us die.”

Dean frowned. “We’re really going to use Jack as bait?”

Castiel nodded. “I wouldn’t have agreed if I didn’t think it was our best option. I’ll protect Jack with my life.”

Rowena stepped forward. “The reason Lucifer is looking for Jack again is because he can't absorb the Nephlim grace. He tried, and it nearly killed him. He’s not powerful enough right now to take it. So, he wants Jack on his side, powers and all. He thinks he can make the boy fight for him until he’s powerful enough to take the grace again.”

Dean looked at Jack, who seemed frightened by all of this. “We won’t let anything happen to you, buddy.” He blinked in surprise at himself. Where was this protective side coming from? It was almost paternal in nature. 

Jack ate his pasta slowly. “So, when are we doing this?”

Gabriel hummed. “Tomorrow. The spell needs some prep, and we all need to power up before this happens.”

Castiel looked at Dean. “I’ve already talked to Jody about this. She’s going to be there with some of the other officers. They’re going to try to slow Lucifer down if this fails. They have bullets made from melted down angel blades that should do significant damage. If he really is low on power, then those should do the trick.”

“Why are we opening up the pit if we have the means to kill him? You have the archangel blade, right?” Dean turned to Gabriel. 

“I do. If I get a shot, he’s dead. But we’re better off with two ways of getting rid of him. He’s especially hard to kill, clearly, so we’ll need the pit.”

Jack dropped his fork and choked on his food, coughing and sputtering. Castiel ran to him and rubbed his back.

“Are you okay?”

Jack caught his breath. “I’m fine.”

Gabriel watched Jack and narrowed his eyes slightly. “What can you hear, kid?”

Jack looked at Gabriel timidly. “He’s still talking to me. He’s in my head.”

Gabriel walked over to Jack. “What’s he saying?”

“He said that if I don’t join him, Castiel and Dean will die. He’s promising to spare them if I join him.”

Gabriel put a hand on Jack’s head. He closed his eyes and listened. “Don’t listen to him. He’s a master manipulator. He’s trying to get to you in any way he can. I’m trying to get him out. Can you still hear him?”

Jack nodded a bit. “He’s not going away.”

Gabriel took his hand away and frowned. “He has a connection to you, probably because you’re his kid. It’s one that I can’t break. Once he’s dead or in the pit, it’ll stop.”

Jack wrapped his arms around himself with a nod.

Dean looked at Jack’s plate. “You didn’t finish your dinner.”

“I’m not hungry.”

Castiel frowned a bit. “You should eat. You’ll feel better.”

Jack shook his head. “I’m going to my room.” He got up and walked to the spare bedroom, closing the door behind himself. 

Castiel sighed and leaned against the wall. “I’ll try to talk to him later.”

Dean picked up both of the plates and walked to the kitchen to wash the dishes. “What’s the plan for tonight?”

“We’re staying here. This house is a target now, and there’s a chance Lucifer could just show up. We need to protect Jack.” Gabriel pulled a lollipop out of his jacket pocket and stuck it in his mouth.

Dean nodded. As much as he hated having a bunch of people in his house, they needed to protect Jack first and foremost.

Rowena walked over to the kitchen table and sat down in the seat that Jack was in previously. “You boys are crazy for attempting this.”

Dean raised a brow. “Then why are you helping us?”

“Because Lucifer is a whiny man child. He threw literal tantrums when he didn’t get his way. I thought I had myself a one way ticket to the throne of hell, but I couldn’t stand to be around him. I want him back in that pit or dead as badly as you do.”

“That’s comforting.” Dean sat back down at the table. “Why do you want the throne?”

“Because my son is terrible at running Hell.”

“Wait, your son is Crowley?!”

“My little Fergus… He’s an awful king. Things need to be run stricter and with more poise. I can’t kill him, so I just have to dethrone him somehow.”

Dean sat back, thinking about all the conversations with Crowley. Not once did he bring up his mother. “Fair enough.”

Gabriel sat down at the table as well. “Since we might die tomorrow, I should probably tell you that I think you’re alright, Dean. I think you and Castiel make a good pair.”

Dean’s head whipped around to Castiel. “What the hell, man?”

“I didn’t tell him! Gabriel!”

Gabriel held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, geez, I just keep seeing you make goo-goo eyes at each other, and you’re both thinking about it a lot. I can’t help but hear it.”

Dean sighed. “Thanks. Can’t wait to just go and die tomorrow.”

Castiel nudged Dean in the shoulder. “Stop saying that. You’re such a pessimist.”

“It’s very much a possibility, so I’m just being realistic. I’m a bit touchy because I found out today that I’m going to be an uncle and I might not even get to be there.”

Castiel’s brows shot up. “Sam is having a baby?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, he’s been with this girl, Jess, for years. They just got their first house together. I’m not even supposed to know about the baby yet, so don’t make a peep.”

“Noted.” Castiel smiled softly. “I think you’d be a good uncle. You’re good with Jack.”

Dean shrugged. He didn’t feel like he was very good with Jack. He had been weird around him a few times. 

Castiel patted Dean’s shoulder a little awkwardly. “I’m going to go try to talk to him. I know he’s stressed. 

“Good idea.” Dean folded his arms on the table and stared blankly at the wall. He had faced death several times before, but this felt different. His life had finally started to make sense, and now this. 

“No!”

Dean stood up at the sound of Castiel’s voice and ran to the back bedroom. Castiel had his head out the open window, and Jack was nowhere to be seen. “Oh my god…”

Castiel looked back at Dean. “He’s gone!”


	9. Chapter 9

“Where did he go?” 

Castiel looked around the room frantically. “I have no idea!”

Gabriel and Rowena came running into the room. Gabriel looked around. “He went to go find Lucifer.”

“He wouldn’t. He knows that Lucifer is bad.” Castiel shook his head.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know, he didn’t seem too afraid of him. When we first got home, he said that Lucifer promised to bring his mom back, and he sounded like he was considering it. I thought I talked him out of it.”

Castiel’s eyes widened. “You didn’t think to mention that before we let him come in here alone?”

“I’m sorry! I thought I had handled it!” Dean huffed. “What now?”

Gabriel looked around. “He couldn’t have gone far. He’s just one little human. I’ll scan the town.” He paused, staring blankly. Everyone in the room watched Gabriel until he unfroze. “Five miles away, in a soccer field. Lucifer must have picked him up and taken him there.”

Castiel grabbed Dean’s arm. “We’re going now. Ready?”

Dean took a deep breath and nodded. “Ready.” He braced himself, and felt the wind sensation again. He was more prepared this time, so when they appeared on the soccer field, he wasn’t as disoriented. Gabriel and Rowena appeared beside them. 

At the end of the field, Lucifer was standing there with Jack. He handed him a glowing yellow bottle.

Castiel started running towards them. “Jack!”

Jack looked at Castiel and quickly dumped the yellow light into his mouth. His eyes lit up and a shockwave emanated from his body. It was powerful enough to knock down everyone on the field, including Gabriel and Lucifer. 

Castiel hit the ground and rolled. He sat up once he was able and looked at Jack, who was still glowing softly from his eyes. “Jack, you don’t have to do this. He’s lying to you!”

Jack looked at Castiel with a sad expression. “He showed me. I saw you die if I don’t do this. Go away.”

Castiel got up and started walking back towards Jack. “No. I’m not letting you go.”

Lucifer stood up behind Jack. “You have powers. Use them. You can fight him off.”

Jack took a deep breath before letting out a scream. It was similar to the shockwave from before, and it knocked Castiel to the ground again. 

Dean ran to Castiel, only to be knocked back by the scream as well. He covered his ears, kneeling down beside the angel. He saw a figure walking beside them and saw Gabriel pushing through, a long golden blade in his hand. 

Castiel saw the blade and shook his head. “No, he’s just a kid-”

“I’m going to try to spare him, but I will do what needs to be done. This is the world we’re talking about.” Gabriel turned back to Jack and pushed forwards. 

Jack went quiet and started backing up. Lucifer grabbed his shoulder. 

“What are you doing? You can take him!”

Gabriel held up his hand and flicked two fingers. Jack went flying across the field, tumbling to the ground about thirty yards from Lucifer. 

Lucifer pulled out his blade and glared. “This didn’t go very well for you last time. I’m surprised you’re even here.”

Gabriel shrugged. “You’re the biggest bag of dicks I know. I’m willing to come out of hiding to take you down.” With that, the fight between them broke out, blades flying. 

Castiel and Dean ran to Jack, who was just starting to get up. Castiel grabbed him by the shoulders. 

“If you join him, we aren’t going to be able to protect you anymore. Do you understand that?”

Jack sniffled. “I can protect myself. I’m more powerful than you.”

“I know you are, but you have no idea how to use those powers. You’re just a kid.”

“I know. I’ve only been alive for a month.”

Castiel paused. “How do you know that?”

“Lucifer gave me back my memories.”

Dean frowned. “Surely you remember him killing your mom now. Isn’t that motivation enough to get away from him?”

“He can bring her back.”

Castiel shook his head. “No, he can’t. He’s lying to you. Whatever he’s shown you, it’s fake. He just wants you for your powers until he’s strong enough to take them away from you.”

Dean turned and saw the battle raging between Gabriel and Lucifer. Gabriel’s wings came tearing through the back of his shirt, giving him the advantage of flight. He had three sets of golden wings that helped him to swoop around Lucifer and beat him down. 

Rowena was off to the side, a bowl in front of her as she frantically worked on the spell. She didn’t look very close to done. 

Castiel hugged Jack, who had started to cry. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.” Just as he got up, Gabriel took a bad blow and hit the ground, archangel blade rolling away from him.

Castiel ran over to Lucifer with his own angel blade and took the fight on himself. It was glaringly obvious that Lucifer wasn’t at full power, but that didn’t mean that he was helpless. He fought hard, getting in a few swings on Castiel and nearly stabbing him with his blade several times.

Dean told Jack to stay put and ran to Gabriel. He grabbed the archangel blade to take back to him, but paused when he saw Castiel get slashed across the chest and thrown to the ground. “Cas!”

Lucifer chuckled. “Look at you, just a little demon with a powerful blade. I could kill you without lifting a finger.”

Dean held the blade tightly and took a few steps forward, getting between Lucifer and Castiel’s crumpled form. “Then why haven’t you?”

Lucifer huffed.

Dean raised a brow. Lucifer wasn’t powerful enough to obliterate him immediately right now. He had a chance. Dean raised his arm and charged Lucifer with a shout. He swung and slashed at him, but every swing was parried or dodged. He wasn’t fast enough, but he sure was distracting. 

Lucifer kicked Dean square in the chest, knocking him to the ground. “You’re nothing more than a pest to me.”

Dean climbed to his feet and swung again. He heard rumbling within the ground, and behind Lucifer, a hole opened in the field. 

Lucifer saw the pit open and growled. “You’ll have to kill me before you get me back in there.”

Dean raised the archangel blade again and ran at Lucifer as fast as he could. He gave everything he had, swinging and punching. He landed one slice on Lucifer’s arm, and the archangel stumbled back to the edge of the pit. 

Dean saw his chance and took it. He ran forwards and shoved Lucifer back to the pit. The archangel slipped back and began to fall. Dean felt a wash of relief as Lucifer fell backwards. It was over, they had done it. 

Suddenly, two hands grabbed Dean’s arms, and all Dean heard as he was dragged down into the pit was Castiel’s shout.


	10. Chapter 10

Dean climbed to his feet and looked around. The cage was as terrifying as he thought it would be. Flashes of light came through the thin cracks in the rusted metal. At the other end of the cage, Lucifer was still crumpled up on the floor. If Dean had managed to stay alive on Earth, he was definitely toast in here. He got lucky while fighting Lucifer before. He wasn’t going to be able to keep that up here. 

He found the archangel blade on the floor and picked it up. He knew that Gabriel was going to be pissed that it ended up down here, but hey, at least the world was saved and Lucifer was locked away again. 

Lucifer slowly rose to his feet and turned to Dean. “You’re going to regret what you’ve done.”

Dean shook his head. “I’ll gladly die to save the world.”

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to torure you, just how you tortured souls years ago. You’re going to spend every day, for the rest of time, screaming in agony by my hand.”

Dean gulped. “Still don’t regret it.” He held up the archangel blade. “I still have this.”

“Not for long.” Lucifer charged at Dean, and the fight broke out again. Dean swung back, but Lucifer dodged everything. Every slash with the blade, every punch, and every kick, missed. Dean felt his body wearing out, and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. 

Lucifer pinned Dean’s arm that was holding the archangel blade against his back. He took the blade out of his hand and threw it aside. 

Dean struggled against the grip, but then the pain started. It was so intense that he couldn’t even pinpoint where it was coming from. It covered his entire body in pure agony. He had his fair share of painful events, but this was on a new level. He waited for his body to give out and die, but nothing came. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t even hear himself. He was blind, deaf, and all he knew was pain. 

Time had stopped. It felt like hours, maybe even days had gone by. The pain was constant, never-changing. Dean couldn’t move or tell where he was anymore. He had no idea if he was even still pinned to the wall of the cage anymore. 

When Dean opened his eyes, all he saw was pitch black darkness. He stared into the abyss and wished he was dead. This was worse than the idea of dying, and now he was trapped here forever. 

Through the darkness, a bright light started shining. Dean couldn’t see past it or what was behind it. The only thing that he could register was that the pain was ending. He felt a pull, and wind blew over his face. 

Suddenly, he felt warm ground beneath his body. He opened his eyes and saw the sun shining straight in his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust to the light. With no idea how he got there, he looked around. Behind him, he saw Castiel laying on the ground. His wings were spread, smoke rising from them. There were smolders in the feathers, glowing a gentle orange. 

“Cas?” Dean moved slowly over to Castiel and reached out, brushing some of the debris out of Castiel’s wings. A handful of feathers came with them, and Dean winced. “Cas? What happened?”

Castiel slowly pushed himself to sit up, panting softly. “I got you out. Rowena and I went to Hell, and she got me in and out of the cage. The cage, it’s similar to falling as an angel. I was in and out quickly, but it still burned me.”

Dean frowned. “Why would you do that? Your wings...Don’t they take forever to heal?”

“I’d rather spent a few decades flightless than spend eternity without you.”

Dean swallowed before leaning forward and hugging Castiel. “Is it really over now?”

Castiel hugged Dean back, squeezing him tightly. “It’s over, except for the fact that we now have a Nephilim on our hands, and we now know that there’s humans out there somewhere.”

“What are we going to do with Jack?”

Castiel sat back, pulling away from the hug. “Well, he’s not human anymore, so he doesn’t need as much protection. He’s still a kid and needs someone to watch over him. If you don’t want to, I can always take him in.”

Dean sat in thought for a moment. “What if we did a dual custody thing? As much as it’s weird to admit, I’ve started liking taking care of him. I know I could do a better job at it, but I want to. I want to be at least one of his caretakers.”

Castiel smiled softly. “You’ve done really good with him so far. He looks up to you so much.”

“Really?”

Castiel nodded. “He’s talked to me about it. He really wanted you to like him and for you to be friends. He talked about wanting to be more like you. He called you caring, nice, and hard working.”

Dean found himself smiling a bit at that. “Huh. That’s nice, I guess.” He stood up and offered a hand to Castiel, pulling him up. He looked at his wings and frowned. “I still can’t believe you did that for me.”

“I’m falling in love with you, of course I saved you.”

Dean’s eyes widened. 

“Sorry, that was a bit forward.”

Dean shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I think...I think I’m getting to be in the same boat. Feels good to say that.”

Castiel squeezed Dean’s hand. “It feels good to hear you say that. Why don’t we get back to your house? Jack is there.”

Dean paused. “How long has it been?”

“Up here? Three days. It probably felt much longer to you, especially with the torture.”

“I honestly had no idea how long it was.” He sighed. “I feel bad that I lost Gabriel’s blade down there.”

Castiel reached into his coat and pulled out the blade. “I got it.”

“Oh, nice.” Dean grinned. He looked around the field, the same one they were in before. “I guess we have to walk home.”

“I have my car at the field. I drove here to meet Rowena.”

“Thank god.”

Castiel chuckled and led Dean to the car, parked in the first parking spot. 

Dean got into the car, leaning back against the passenger seat. If he thought about it for too long, he could feel the pain of the torture again. It made his ears ring. He rubbed his head and tried to think about something else. 

Castiel parked his car in Dean’s driveway and got out. He waited for Dean to open the garage door with a code before following him inside. 

Dean walked into the living room and was immediately pounced on by Jack. He was surprised by the hug, but he accepted it nonetheless. “Hey, kid.”

Jack held onto Dean tightly. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I almost joined him. I was scared and I didn’t want you to die and then I thought you did and-”

“Hey, hey, slow down. It’s okay. I know how hard that must have been for you. I’m here now, and I’m okay.”

Jack pulled back from the hug and nodded a bit. He smiled at Castiel and waved. “Did everything go alright?”

“It did.” Castiel smiled back. Dean didn’t blame him for not mentioning the wings. It was probably still a touchy subject. “Dean and I are pretty tired, so we’re going to go rest for a bit.”

Jack nodded. “Okay. I’ll wait down here.”

Castiel led the way upstairs, seemingly eager to get there. 

Dean closed the bedroom door behind them. “What about Jody? Does she know where we’ve been?”

Castiel nodded. “I’ve been in contact with her. She knows about everything. I should call her later and tell her that we’re back. Right now, would it be too much to ask for you to help with my wings? This won’t be a sexy wing grooming session. It won’t feel good for me.”

“Yeah, whatever you need.”

Castiel sat down on the bed and took off his white shirt. It had two tears in the back from his wings already. He rolled his shoulders before letting his wings free. Feathers fell everywhere.

Dean sat down behind Castiel. “I’ll be as gentle as possible.”

“Thank you.”

Dean carefully ran his hand over Castiel’s left wing. Feathers fell, burned at the edges. He went over a spot where the skin was burned too, and Castiel winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I can take it. Keep going. It needs to be done.”

Dean went even more carefully now. He brushed through the feathers, his heart heavy when he saw how many Castiel was losing. Even some of the large primaries were so scorched that they fell out. 

Dean moved around to sit in front of Castiel. He frowned when he saw how sad the angel looked. “I’m so sorry.”

Castiel looked at Dean. “I may be sad about my wings, but don’t think for a second that I regret saving you.”

Dean leaned forward and kissed Castiel’s forehead. “I still think you’re amazing even if you can’t fly.”

“Thank you.”

Dean worked on the front of Castiel’s wings until the remaining feathers were smooth and glossy. Castiel’s wings looked sad. There were bald patches and scorched bits of skin. “How long do you think it’ll take for them to grow back?”

Castiel looked at his wings. “There’s no telling. Twenty, maybe thirty years.”

“Damn.”

Castiel looked back at Dean. “I’ll be okay. I promise.”

Dean found Castiel’s hand and held it. “Thank you, for saving me. I can’t...I can’t even begin to describe the pain I was in. I don’t know what Lucifer was doing to me, but it was worse than anything I’ve ever experienced.”

“Lucifer is one of the founding fathers of torture. I don’t doubt that he picked some of the worst for you, because of what you did. I’m still impressed at how well you fought him.”

Dean shrugged. “I tried. I was just trying to be as distracting as possible, and hoping that either you or Gabriel would be able to get up and take my place at some point. Speaking of...I guess the angel blade wound healed. I don’t see a scar.”

Castiel nodded and looked at himself. “Yes, it healed just fine. Gabriel had a pretty good slash on him as well. He’s healed up too.”

Dean found himself staring at Castiel’s lips while he talked. He blinked and met his eyes again. “That’s good to hear.”

Castiel smiled softly. “You can kiss me.”

“I-I wasn’t-”

“You thought about it.”

Dean pouted a bit. “That’s so not fair.” He huffed before leaning in and kissing Castiel. It was better than he ever imagined. Castiel’s lips were soft compared to the scruff that was gently brushing Dean’s cheeks. He felt a hand touching his face as he kissed, and it made the moment that much sweeter. 

Castiel pulled back first. “I’ve wanted you to do that again since the first time.”

Dean blushed and looked away. “Yeah. Me too.”

Castiel leaned in and kissed Dean again with a little more meaning behind it. He pressed closer to him and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Dean pulled Castiel up against his chest, hands resting on the small of the angel’s back. His face heated up, and he started to realize where this was going. 

Castiel straddled Dean’s thighs and sat in his lap. He pulled back to kiss Dean’s jaw. “This got more intense than I was expecting.”

Dean moved his hands to Castiel’s hips. “Yeah, not complaining, though. This is nice.”

Castiel hummed. “Yeah, it is.” He slid his hands underneath Dean’s shirt. The poor thing was already torn up and dirty from being in hell, so Castiel didn’t bother with the buttons. He pulled and the buttons popped from their threads, hitting the floor with little clinking sounds. 

Dean shrugged his shirt off and tossed it aside. He moved his hands to Castiel’s belt and unbuckled it. He pulled it out of its loops and set it on the bed. It felt too expensive to throw. 

Castiel was the first to become completely undressed, since he was sitting on top of Dean’s legs. Dean marvelled over Castiel’s body, running his hands along his smooth chest and tracing the lines of muscle. 

Castiel slid off of Dean’s lap and pushed him back onto the bed with one hand. He worked quickly on Dean’s pants, seemingly eager to not be the only one naked. He tossed Dean’s pants aside and smiled. “There you are.”

“I don’t know if that was sweet or weird.”

“Well pardon me for not knowing the exact right thing to say.” Castiel smiled a bit. “I’m just happy to get to see all of you.”

“See, that was sweeter.” Dean grabbed Castiel’s face and pulled him down for another kiss, his eyes slipping closed. 

They stayed just like that for several minutes, just kissing and feeling one another. Dean’s chest felt warm, and this was unlike any sex he had ever had before. He felt a strong pull towards Castiel that made his head spin and his heart hurt. It was terrifying and exciting at the same time. Right now, he wanted to follow that feeling to the ends of the Earth. 

Castiel swung a leg over Dean’s hips and straddled him again. “This may be a weird question, but how exactly are we doing this? I know one of us is on top and the other on the bottom.”

Dean chuckled. “Hm, I’m pretty versatile. I prefer being on the bottom, but if you need more guidance the first time, I’ll top.”

Castiel paused in thought. “What if I was ‘the bottom’, but I was on top?”

“You wanna ride me?”

“Oh, so that’s the correct terminology. Yes. I would like to ride you.”

Dean grinned. “I like the sound of that.” He reached for the second drawer of this bedside table and dug around until he found some lube that he kept for...personal use. “I don’t know about angels, but it usually feels better if you get some prep first.”

“Alright, just tell me what to do.”

“Stay right there and relax. I’ve got you.” Dean poured some lube onto his fingers and sat up a bit to reach behind Castiel. “It’s going to feel weird at first, but I’ll make it good.”

“I trust you.”

Dean kissed Castiel’s cheek before gently pushing one finger into him. He heard a soft hum from the angel. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, you can’t hurt me like this. I think in theory, I wouldn’t need this, but I like the idea, so you can keep going.”

“Alright, then.” Dean moved his finger in and out slowly for a few seconds before adding another. He curled his fingers in search of Castiel’s prostate. 

“Oh!”

“Right there?”

Castiel nodded quickly. “Yeah, that felt nice.”

Dean grinned and moved his fingers back and forth, rubbing Castiel’s prostate over and over. The moans he earned from the angel were just as sweet as when he groomed his wings. 

Castiel gripped the sheets on either side of Dean. “This is...very different, and good.”

“I’m glad. It’ll be even better once we’re at the main event.”

“Can we start the main event now? Like I said, you can’t hurt me.”

Dean laughed breathily, shaking his head. “You’re very impatient.”

Castiel huffed. “Maybe I’m just excited to share something so intimate with you.”

“This is all part of it. The kissing, the foreplay, the talking. The main event is fun, but you have to have a good build-up to it. You’ll thank me later.”

Castiel nodded a bit. He moaned again when Dean added a third finger. “Oh, Dean…”

Dean grinned and moved his fingers in and out quickly, his eyebrows going up when Castiel started pushing back against him. “That’s the spirit.”

Castiel rocked back against Dean’s fingers, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. His wings spread out behind him, and they looked a little different. The shorter, secondary feathers had puffed up, and the big primaries were all splayed out. To Dean, it didn’t matter that there were feathers missing or burned spots. Castiel was still beautiful. 

Dean gently pulled his fingers free. “Alright, are you ready?”

Castiel nodded eagerly. “I am.”

Dean added more lube to his hand and rubbed it over his cock, humming softly at the touch. 

Castiel shifted forwards and lined himself up with Dean. “Are you ready?”

Dean nodded and placed his hands on Castiel’s hips. “I am, go for it cowboy.”

Castiel tilted his head. “That’s an odd term of endearment.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “It was a joke about how you’re about to ride me.”

“Oh, I get it.” Castiel smiled. “That’s funny.” He slowly sank down on Dean’s cock, gasping and holding his breath until he was fully seated. He let out the breath he was holding and took a few seconds to compose himself. “I think you were right about the build-up.”

Dean took a few deep breaths himself, adjusting to the tight, wet heat of Castiel. “Told you.”

Castiel slowly lifted himself up a few inches before sinking back down. Dean’s hands were on his hips, guiding him through the motions. It was slow, and both of them had their eyes locked on the other. Dean felt his heart beating faster, and it wasn’t just from arousal. It was hard to explain the connection he felt with Castiel, but it felt so good that he couldn’t bear the thought of losing it. He felt like he was falling deeper and deeper into this feeling, and that was when he realized why it was called ‘falling in love’.

Castiel started moving faster. He placed his hands on Dean’s chest as he moved, wings flapping slightly behind him. 

Dean shifted his legs, bending his knees and placing his feet on the bed so that he could more easily thrust up into Castiel each time he came down. Both of them moaned once that started, and Dean held Castiel’s hips a little tighter. 

Castiel closed his eyes for a few seconds. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.”

Dean groaned. “Me neither.” He thrusted up harder and faster, triggering Castiel to bounce faster. 

Castiel’s hand shot from Dean’s chest to his face, very gently cupping his cheek. The angel moaned and a shudder ran through his whole body as he started to come. 

Dean reached up and placed his hand over Castiel’s, his jaw dropping as he came in unison with the angel. The hand felt hot, intimate, and sickeningly sweet. He’d never felt anything so tender during sex, and he loved it.

Castiel stopped moving and paused to catch his breath for a few seconds. He lifted himself up and off of Dean before laying down on his stomach beside the demon. “That was...intense. I liked it.”

Dean stared up at the ceiling. He’d never had so many revelations about himself during sex, and it left him a little shell-shocked. “I’m falling in love with you.”

Castiel sat up a little and smiled. “I’m falling in love with you too.”

Dean looked at Castiel. “What are we going to do?”

Castiel kissed Dean’s cheek. “Well, we can continue this and let our relationship grow. We’ll take care of Jack together and solve cases together. You’ll be an uncle soon, and you still get to work in a career that you love. From my perspective, I think things are about to be really good for you.”

Dean smiled a bit at that. “Yow know what? I think you’re right.”

~~~

Things did start feeling really good for Dean. Work felt easier now that he and Castiel were on such good terms. Things stayed quiet for a few days, but the cases eventually picked back up. The search for the humans had begun, and Castiel and Dean were working together on it.

Jack lived with Dean full time now. Dean bought him a laptop to keep himself more entertained, and got him a tutor for his online high school classes. Poor kid had a lot of catching up to do, but Dean felt confident that he could do it. 

Even though Jack didn’t need to eat anymore, he still enjoyed Dean’s cooking every night. Castiel joined them for dinner and stayed late to spend time with Dean almost every night. It became so regular, that after two months, Dean asked Castiel to move in with him. 

Castiel didn’t have a lot of material possessions, so the move was easy. Jack was very excited to have Castiel moving in, since it meant that he’d be there every night and weekend. 

A few months after Dean was pulled from Hell, Sam and Jess came over and officially told him the news about the baby. Dean felt like he did a pretty good job faking his reaction, because Jess and Sam seemed happy. The couple loved meeting Castiel and Jack. 

Sam was really excited for Dean. He kept telling him over and over how he thought that all of these new developments in Dean’s life were amazing. 

The night after Sam and Jess visited, Castiel and Dean sat on the back porch together to watch the stars. Castiel told Dean stories about heaven, and for possibly the first time in his life, Dean felt at peace. He had finally fully accepted himself for loving Castiel. They bickered like an old married couple at times, but they were incredibly happy together.

Their bond was unlikely to say the least, but together they were stronger, but more importantly, happier. 


End file.
